The number of countries participating in the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine has been halved since Prime Minister Andrej Babis returned to power in December. The Financial Times reports this with reference to a statement by Czech President Petr Pavel.
According to Pavel, only nine states are now funding the initiative, while last year there were up to 18. The project was initiated by the previous pro-European government of the Czech Republic with the active support of Pavel himself.
The office of the Czech President did not name the countries that left the coalition. At the same time, one Western military official told the FT that Germany and some Scandinavian states remain among the participants.
According to him, some countries consider it strange to finance an initiative that does not have sufficient support from the current government of the leading country.
Babis separately told the FT that his government was prioritizing spending on Czech citizens rather than supporting Ukraine.
