Ukraine update: What's happening now (July 9)

Three quarters of Czechs are in favor of the Czech Republic's efforts to accept Ukrainian refugees, but only 10 percent are in favor of the refugees settling in the country permanently, according to a CVVM public opinion poll released this weekend.

Seventy-five percent of those polled said they agreed with the Czech Republic accepting Ukrainian refugees. Out of them, 27 percent strongly supported it and 48 percent said they somewhat support it.

"Analysis has shown that higher support for the acceptance of the Ukrainian refugees has been expressed by university graduates and people with higher living standards," pollsters said.

 The heavily burned Ukrainian girl whom Czech soldiers brought in critical condition to Prague in late March is successfully completing her treatment at the Prague-Vinohrady burn clinic and preparing for a rehabilitation stay in Košumberk , east Bohemia, the Czech military said today. Yulia, aged almost two, underwent a series of surgeries and skin transplants in Prague, where the military rescue medical service brought her and her mother aboard a CASA plane one month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, chief of staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, thanked the Czech Republic and Poland for their deliveries of tanks to Ukraine. At a time Ukraine is facing a Russian military aggression, the aid from the two countries is invaluable, Zaluzhnyi wrote on the social media alongside a photo of the combat vehicles with Czech and Polish flags.

"We are grateful to the Polish and Czech people for your help and support to our army and our people who have found shelter in your countries fleeing Russian bombs and missiles," Zaluzhnyi added. "We are fighting for Ukraine, for the Czech Republic, for Poland. For every meter of our Slav country. We will survive it all together. Your tanks are help from real brothers."

The international community must be prepared to undertake the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine when the war ends, Czech PM Petr Fiala said at the start of an international conference on Monday. The conference has been called to prepare an outline for the complicated and costly process of repairing Ukraine's devastated cities and towns.

"To speak frankly, I do not know when the full-fledged reconstruction of Ukraine may start, but I do know that we must be ready," Fiala said. Fiala will lead the Czech Republic through its EU presidency, and has previously stated that the reconstruction of Ukraine is one of country's priorities during its six-month term.

The European Union must work together against Russia, even though the member states legitimately have different stances on many issues, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote in an article published by Politico today.

The Czech presidency of the Council of the EU will seek to look for unity even in further support to Ukraine. The Czech government also wants to promote the strengthening of joint European defense, lowering reliance on Russian gas and oil, and the related reduction of greenhouse gas emissions during the presidency, the prime minister said.