The Czech Republic will not transfer combat aircraft to Ukraine. Andrej Babisz makes it clear
During Friday's meeting in the capital of Ukraine, President Petr Pavel said: that the Czech Republic could donate several aircraft in a short time. Over the weekend he added, that Ukraine was interested in purchasing subsonic L-159 aircraft.
However, Prime Minister Andrej Babisz, referring to these declarations, ruled out this possibility.
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— Planes are not available and we have no other ones, Babisz said during Monday's press conference after the government meeting. He emphasized that the Czech army needs these machines and transferring them would be impossible.
President Pavel has remained a strong supporter of Kiev since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Unlike him, Prime Minister Babis consistently opposes providing military aid to Ukraine. In December, he also refused to allow the Czech Republic to participate financially in the EU loan to Kiev.
The proposal to provide the planes was criticized by Babisz's coalition partners from the far-right, pro-Russian SPD party. The Prime Minister recalled that the previous, more pro-Ukrainian government rejected the possibility of sending L-159 aircraft to Ukraine. As he noted, Prague's position on this matter remains unchanged.
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Prime Minister Babiš's decision is part of the broader context of Czech policy towards the war in Ukraine, which has been dividing both public opinion and the political classes in the country for months.
