U.S. ambassador banned from Prague Castle by Czech president


Czech President Milos Zeman has banned U.S. Ambassador Andrew Schapiro from his official residence, Prague Castle, after Schapiro made a comment about Zeman attending a World War II commemoration in Moscow.
Other EU leaders are boycotting the May event due to Russia's involvement in Ukraine, Reuters reports, and earlier in the week Schapiro said it would be "awkward" if Zeman were the only representative from the EU at the ceremony. "I can't imagine the Czech ambassador in Washington would give advice to the American president where to travel," Zeman told the news portal Parlamentni Listy. "I won't let any ambassador have a say about my foreign travels."
The presidency is primarily a ceremonial role, but Zeman, a former prime minister, is known for making his opinions known regarding domestic and foreign policy, Reuters reports.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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