Putin will be overthrown either by military or businessmen - Czech President Zeman

This is reported by the publication České noviny.

According to Zeman, "businessmen have a justified feeling that anti-Russian sanctions significantly harm their interests".

"It is possible that if Russian troops continue to remain in Ukraine, Putin will be overthrown either by the military or by businessmen. The soldiers are losing, and they feel that it is because the political leadership of the country is weak and does not support them enough," the newspaper quoted the president as saying.

Zeman also said that he would advise Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

"I would tell him in an absolutely friendly way to withdraw his army from Ukraine. No one wants him to admit his mistake in words, he could admit it by withdrawing the army," he said.

The publication notes that after the full-scale invasion, Zeman changed his position, for example, on sanctions, which he previously criticised. He also said that his relationship with Putin is based on economic diplomacy, as Russia used to be a supplier of "very cheap energy raw materials".

"Since I want to protect the interests of the Czech economy, I had absolutely no reason to oppose Vladimir Putin. Everything changed only after the attack on Ukraine, because this is something that even economic diplomacy can forgive," the Czech president added.

• On January 14, the Czech Republic voted in the first round of presidential elections. After the restoration of state independence of the Czech Republic and until 2013, the head of the Czech state was elected in the parliament. The first and so far the only popularly elected president of the modern Czech Republic is Milos Zeman, the new head of state will be elected in the second round.