JD Vance could complicate bilateral ties

EU Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen visited Prague on April 30 to help celebrate the CR's 20th anniversary in the EU and also met that day with defense contractors at the headquarters of Czechoslovak Group (CSG). She then told LN that Europe needs more companies like CSG. Donald Trump's newly selected running mate for the presidential elections on Nov. 5, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, would prefer that CSG remain on this side of the Atlantic. In Jan. he urged U.S. Treasury Secr. Janet Yellen to deny the sale of the ammunition division of Vista Outdoors to CSG on the grounds that the Czech company has a "long record of wrongdoing and well-documented connections to American adversaries." Vance said in May that an open letter to him from CEO Michal Strnad of CSG failed to allay his concerns. Lobbyist Petr Kolář, who works for the competing defense company Colt CZ and also advises Pres. Petr Pavel, used an appearance on Czech TV last night to criticize both Vance and CSG. Which means that the selection of Vance as the Republican VP candidate could be a sudden complication to Pavel's efforts to find a way to Trump.