Source: www.reuters.com

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PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech President Milos Zeman, who had in the past promoted warm relations with Moscow, said on Thursday Russia’s attack on Ukraine was “crime against peace” and required a response through harsh sanctions including cutting the country from the SWIFT international payments system.

“It is time to reach for much tougher sanctions than those originally planned, by which I mean above all a sanction in the area of the so-called SWIFT,” Zeman said in a speech.

“It is needed to isolate a madman, not just defend against him by words, but by concrete measures.”

Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller; Editing by Alison Williams