Czech opposition threatens to cancel the initiative on ammunition for the Armed Forces. Fiala reacted
Petr Fiala (Photo: Martin Divisek/EPA)

Former Czech Prime Minister, founder and leader of the ANO party, Andrej Babiš, has threatened that if his political force wins the election, the government will cancel the initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine. The current head of the government of the country Petr Fiala believes that canceling the initiative would be a big mistake.

Babiš said in an interview with Reuters that the ANO-led government would cancel the Czech munitions initiative, which helps supply Ukraine with artillery shells, if it wins the fall elections. He was quoted by Ceske Noviny.

The politician has long criticized the initiative, calling it an advantage for arms dealers, who, according to him, make high profits without proper transparency.

"Of course. Why should we continue? We need money for our people," Babiš told Reuters when asked directly if the ANO-led government would cancel the Czech munitions initiative.

He added that NATO could take over the project. According to the politician, it is unclear what contribution the Czechs are making to the munitions initiative.

According to the media outlet Ceske Noviny, Fiala responded by saying that the ANO leader's statements were dangerous and that canceling the initiative would be a huge mistake. He made the statement at a campaign event in Brno.

"Unfortunately, what Babish is saying is dangerous. This is not surprising, because he has criticized the munitions initiative several times. These are extremely dangerous things, both for the security of the Czech Republic and for the prestige of the Czech Republic abroad, because a number of other countries that are our allies are actively participating in the Czech initiative," Fiala emphasized.

See also
Zelensky: This year Ukraine may receive 1.8 million shells under Czech initiative