Andrej Babiš: Czech Republic Will Not Give Ukraine a Single Crown for Weapons 0 17

If the "Action of Dissatisfied Citizens" (ANO) party manages to form a ruling coalition in the lower house of the Czech Parliament, it will ensure that no funds are allocated from the national budget for military support to Ukraine. This was stated by the party leader, billionaire Andrej Babiš, at a press conference in Prague on Wednesday, October 8, as reported by the publication České Noviny.

According to Babiš, the Czech Republic is already contributing "60 billion" to the European Union budget, which supports Ukraine in the war waged against it. "We will not give Ukraine a single crown (from the budget. - Ed.) for weapons," České Noviny quotes the politician. "We do not have money for the Czech Republic. I think we helped Ukraine directly, and now it will be helped through the EU."

"Ammunition Initiative" Is NATO's Business, Not the Czech Republic's, Babiš Claims

Andrej Babiš also reiterated his promise to halt the Czech initiative for purchasing shells and ammunition for the Ukrainian army. According to him, the initiative itself is "normal," but it should be handled directly by NATO member states as a defense alliance.

The politician also stated that the process of procuring shells for Ukraine is not transparent enough, and a certain private company has "earned tens of billions" on this. Babiš did not provide further details on this matter.

In 2024, Ukraine received 1.5 million artillery shells under the "Czech Initiative," and in 2025, it is expected to receive 1.1 million, media reports. Overall, the initiative aims to procure 3.5 million artillery shells for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, funded by Ukraine's allies. Earlier, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský explained that the country took on the implementation of the initiative precisely because NATO does not have the appropriate apparatus for this.