page_title: Václav Klaus
section_title: Views on Russia
hierarchical_section_title: Václav Klaus / Presidency (2003–2013) / Views on Russia
caption_attribution_description: English: PRAGUE. Before the beginning of Russian-Czech talks in enlarged format. With members of the Czech delegation.Русский: ПРАГА. Перед началом российско-чешских переговоров в расширенном составе. Представление членов чешской делегации.
context_page_description: Václav Klaus is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second and last prime minister of the Czech Republic while it was a federal subject of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, and then as the first prime minister of the newly independent Czech Republic from 1993 to 1998.
  Klaus was the principal co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, a Czech free-market Eurosceptic political party. His presidency was marked by many controversies over his strong opinions on issues ranging from global warming denial to euroscepticism, and a wide-ranging amnesty declared in his last months of office, triggering his indictment by the Czech Senate on charges of high treason. His political views have been referred to as "Klausism".
context_section_description: Klaus has sought cooperation with Russia on issues including energy policy.
  In the 1990s, Klaus promoted renewed oil and gas agreements between the Czech Republic and Russia, and opposed Czech attempts to develop other energy sources, including the construction of a pipeline between the Czech Republic and Germany. According to former Czech secret service directors, he was warned by the secret service of Russian organized crime spreading into the Czech economy. In one scheme, oil was imported to the Czech Republic as heating oil and re-sold as diesel, creating huge profits for Russian businessman Semion Mogilevich, alleged to be a key figure in the Russian mafia.
  In March 2006, Klaus was described by The Economist as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "warmest admirers abroad". Klaus was awarded the 2007 Pushkin Medal by Putin for the promotion of Russian culture. It was suggested that this was partly due to his use of the Russian language when speaking to Putin and Russian diplomats. Klaus said that in relations with Russia there have been "challenges and successes, tremendous successes".
  On the other hand, in a May 2009 interview with Lidové noviny, Klaus said that Russia was not a threat, but was still a big, strong and ambitious country, of which the Czech authorities should beware more than countries like Estonia and Lithuania should.
caption: Vaclav Klaus and President Putin.
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