The new right-wing populist Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, has announced that he will not stop the initiative regarding the delivery of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, even though he promised the opposite during the election campaign.
“The project will continue, and the Czech Republic will play the role of coordinator,” said 71-year-old Babiš, however, specifying that Czech taxpayers’ funds will no longer be allocated for this initiative.
The initiative is primarily funded by other European countries, such as Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, while Prague’s contribution is limited. During the election campaign, Babiš harshly criticized the project and called for its cessation, just like his far-right coalition partners.
The National Security Council of the Czech Republic met in Prague to discuss the next steps within the initiative. The meeting is attended by the heads of the army and intelligence services, and the presence of President Petr Pavel was expected.
Petr Pavel, a former NATO general, is the one who launched the initiative regarding the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine. According to official figures, last year over 1.8 million artillery cartridges were delivered to Ukraine through this mechanism, which represented 43% of the total ammunition supplied to Kiev.