At a NATO summit, Zeman sharply criticized the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

During the virtual summit of NATO's nine heads of state, NATO President Milos Zeman sharply criticized the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan. He likened negotiations with the radical movement to the Taliban to negotiations with Adolf Hitler with the same consequences. Several thousand of the last soldiers of the USA, NATO states, and their allies began to withdraw from Afghanistan at the beginning of the month. They want to leave by September 11th.

The two-day summit takes place in the Romanian capital Bucharest. In addition to the head of the host country, Klaus Iohannis, only Polish President Andrzej Duda is personally present. Representatives of other countries, including Zeman, joined via video. The meeting was joined by US President Joe Biden and North Atlantic Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, among others.

The so-called Bucharest Nine brings together the Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary), the three Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia), Bulgaria, and Romania.

In his contribution, the Czech president reminded that at the last summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in London, as the only fighter, he protested against the withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to him, this step is "worse than a crime. It is a mistake.

In this context, he pointed to Saturday's bloody attack on a school in Kabul. He is convinced that after the departure of US forces and their NATO allies from Afghanistan, the Taliban will remove the legal government there, take control of the entire country and create a new terrorist center, which he says can be compared to the Islamic State in recent years.

Zeman also asked NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg why, if he shared the view, he did not protest the withdrawal. Against this great mistake, which reminds me of a policy of reconciliation, even cowardice, even surrender. Negotiations with the Taliban are very similar to negotiations with Adolf Hitler with the same consequences, said the Czech president.

The summit in the Romanian capital is taking place at a time of heightened tensions in relations with Russia. Among other things, allegations that Russian agents were behind the explosions of ammunition depots in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, but also Russia's pressure on Ukraine and the situation in the Black Sea, contributed to this.

The White House reported that President Biden discussed a wide range of issues with summit participants, including the Alliance's ability to respond to threats.

In this context, the Romanian President spoke of the need to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities. We have all recently witnessed Russia's troubling military concentration in our close neighbors, in the Black Sea, in and around Ukraine. That is why I advocated, even during the discussion with President Biden, an increase in the military presence of the Allies in Romania and in the south of the eastern wing, said Klaus Iohannis.