Czech PM Babiš Softens Stance on Funding Weapons for Ukraine Ahead of NATO Summit

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has unexpectedly softened his position on funding military aid for Ukraine, effectively stepping back from one of his key election pledges. Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, he said Prague would honour the Alliance's collective decisions on supporting Ukraine, even if they involve Czech financial contributions towards weapons procurement.

During the election campaign, Babiš repeatedly insisted that under his government "not a single Czech crown" would be spent on weapons for Ukraine. The pledge became one of the cornerstones of ANO's foreign policy platform, distancing the party from the previous government led by Petr Fiala, which strongly backed Kyiv, including through the Czech-led international initiative to procure artillery ammunition for Ukraine.

However, speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara on 7–8 July, Babiš said that, as a NATO member, the Czech Republic would respect decisions taken collectively by the Alliance. According to the prime minister, if allies agree on a new mechanism for financing military assistance to Ukraine, Prague will take part. At the same time, he stressed that he remains opposed to separate bilateral initiatives, such as the Czech ammunition programme launched by the previous government.

In effect, Babiš drew a distinction between supporting NATO-wide decisions and backing national military assistance programmes. The position allows his government to meet its commitments to the Alliance while maintaining its criticism of the previous administration's approach to supporting Ukraine.

The shift prompted an immediate reaction within Czech politics. Tomio Okamura, leader of the right-wing populist Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and a long-standing opponent of military aid to Ukraine, was reportedly so surprised by Babiš's remarks that he phoned the prime minister during the summit in Ankara.

Following the conversation, Okamura told journalists that Babiš had assured him the Czech Republic was not planning to introduce new national programmes to finance arms deliveries to Ukraine. Instead, the prime minister said any Czech contribution would be limited to implementing decisions collectively agreed by NATO allies rather than expanding Prague's bilateral military support for Kyiv.

Babiš also offered a controversial explanation for his previous campaign pledge. When asked by journalists about his repeated promise that "not a single crown" would be spent on weapons for Ukraine, he said the wording had been suggested by his media adviser, Marek Macinka. In doing so, the prime minister effectively shifted responsibility for one of the best-known slogans of his election campaign onto his adviser, drawing criticism from both political opponents and Czech media.

Babiš's remarks came amid wider discussions among NATO allies on new long-term mechanisms for supporting Ukraine and increasing defence spending across the Alliance. They have also fuelled domestic political debate in the Czech Republic, as the prime minister's latest position contrasts with ANO's campaign promises and has prompted criticism from both the opposition and political partners within the governing coalition.

Source: Denik