 "Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. AFP file")
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday claimed that the parliamentary election frontrunner is helping Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war against Ukraine.
While the Czechs’ current coalition government, consisting of four parties under Fiala, has been a fierce supporter of Ukraine, the prime minister has accused populist Andrej Babiš of being in touch with Putin.
“Babiš is against this ammunition initiative, against spending on defence, he talks about peace without any conditions,” Fiala told Financial Times.
“He helps Vladimir Putin, it’s very clear,” he added.
Fiala warned that the Czech-led ammunition initiative, designed to collect donations from allied nations to help fund the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine from global suppliers, could be at risk if there is a change in government.
Pre-poll surveys show that Babiš is leading in the elections by 33 per cent, while Fiala’s coalition government is barely reaching 17 per cent.
Babiš, leader of the populist ANO party, has been aligning his rhetoric with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, arguing that diplomacy—rather than additional weapons—is the real solution to Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, Kyiv remains skeptical, believing that the Kremlin is not genuinely committed to a diplomatic resolution.
The Czech Republic is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections by October 2025 to elect all 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament. Recent political developments include internal disputes within the ruling coalition, notably the departure of the Pirate Party from the Cabinet following the dismissal of their leader, Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartos.