Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Milos Zeman, his Czech counterpart, in the Kremlin on Saturday, cementing the warm relationship Zeman and his entourage have maintained with Moscow even as other European leaders have pulled away.
The Czech president was the only European Union leader to meet Putin bilaterally on Saturday, a day when Moscow usually hosts dozens of world leaders to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II but which most have this year boycotted over Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
"Mr. President, you know that we didn't initiate the chill in relations with Europe," Putin told Zeman. "But I hope, that thanks to such politicians as you, we would be able to restore (relations) not only as they had been previously, but that they will move forward."