Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that Prague will not block the decision to provide Ukraine with 70 billion euros in aid in 2026 and a similar amount in 2027. At the same time, Czechia does not plan to join this initiative.
This was reported by České Noviny.
According to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Prague will not allocate funds from the state budget for the new aid package for Ukraine.
“Of course, we will not allocate funds from the Czech budget for Ukraine, because we primarily need this money to meet the two percent requirement, so it is logical that these funds, as before, will be paid by the large countries,” Babiš said.
This refers to the requirement for defense spending under NATO commitments. At the same time, the head of government expressed hope that during the NATO summit, allies would discuss not only budget commitments but also the issue of achieving peace in Ukraine. Babiš emphasized that Ukraine is a sovereign state with a strong and well-equipped army, which is “one of the best security guarantees in Europe.”
“It will also be important to discuss at the Czech level how we will approach this issue in the long term. From our point of view, it would be unwise if, after four and a half years during which we have intensively supported Ukraine, we complicated our position regarding possible participation in its reconstruction by ending our support,” he added.
Earlier, media reported that the draft NATO statement provides for 70 billion euros in aid to Ukraine in 2026 and a similar amount in 2027. According to media reports, this amount does not include any new commitments, but consists of NATO’s previous annual pledge of 40 billion euros and another 30 billion euros annually through a European Union loan.
