Czech news in brief for January 17: Saturday's top morning headlines

Czech President Petr Pavel met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday during a visit underscoring support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Pavel said talks focused on peace negotiations, the Czech ammunition initiative, and humanitarian aid. He also condemned Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and visited war-damaged sites and aid projects. The trip highlights Czech backing for Ukraine amid its nearly four-year war.

A new wave of Arctic air is expected to reach Central Europe next week, bringing subzero temperatures, Czech meteorologists say. The cold mass, currently over Eastern Europe, will gradually spread west, with mornings in Czechia dropping to around -10 °C or lower. Forecasts suggest further reinforcement from Siberia later in January. Sunny days are expected initially, but extreme cold could persist until midweek, according to weather models.

Butter prices in Czech shops continued to fall in January, with average promotional prices dropping below CZK 33 for a 250-gram pack, data from Kupi.cz showed. In rare cases, butter sold for as little as CZK 21.90. Analysts cited intense retail competition and surplus milk fat in Europe. Imports of frozen butter and global market trends have also pushed prices down.

A Czech aircraft will fly Czech citizen Jan Darmovžal and six freed foreign nationals from Venezuela to Prague within days, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said on Friday. The group includes citizens of Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Medical staff are onboard due to health concerns. Darmovžal was detained in September over disputed political accusations and released after weeks of negotiations.

The Prague Stock Exchange set another new record high by close of day on Friday, with the PX index gaining 0.33 percent to 2,758.38 points, driven by strong performance from Colt, Philip Morris, Komerční banka, and Gevorkyan shares. Only ČEZ and VIG declined. Trading volume reached CZK 720 million. The PX has risen for eight consecutive weeks, marking continued investor confidence.