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We can't stop helping: a scandal broke out in the Czech Republic over Ukraine's support
Another political scandal has broken out in the Czech Republic over aid to Ukraine. President Petr Pavel promised to transfer several Czech-made L-159 combat training aircraft to Kiev. This provoked sharp criticism from the ruling populist coalition led by billionaire Andrei Babish, which is opposed to providing assistance to Ukraine. According to experts, the EU is less willing to supply weapons to Kiev. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
You need to do everything yourself
"There are no planes sitting idle in the hangars, everything is in use. So we need them ourselves," Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis explained the Czech Republic's refusal to sell Ukraine its own L-159 aircraft.
According to him, this issue was discussed at a meeting of the leaders of the ruling coalition. And Czech Defense Minister Jaromir Zunu said at the meeting that the aircraft's service life would expire only in 2040, so the Czech army needed them to ensure its own security.
Thus, the head of government refuted the statement of President Petr Pavel. During his recent trip to Kiev, he said that Prague could supply Ukraine with several fighter jets in the near future, and mentioned that he had offered to purchase several Czech subsonic L-159 aircraft.
Czech light multipurpose attack aircraft L-159
They are noticeably smaller than the MiG-29 or F-16 fighters at Kiev's disposal, while they are equipped with a modern Italian radar system and can carry high-precision modern weapons.
These aircraft were exported to Iraq, where they were used in operations against the militants of the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation), as well as to the United States, where they are used for tactical pilot training.
The Czech President assured his Ukrainian colleagues that no discussions would be required on this issue and the sale of aircraft would not undermine the country's defense capability. For this, he was criticized by the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Matsinka, calling him an elephant in a china shop for promises not agreed with the government to Ukraine.
Czech President Petr Pavel at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. January 16, 2026
Pavel replied that it was not a gift, but a purchase, which "would be a good opportunity for the Czech manufacturer." He was also outraged that the country's top diplomat "began to lecture the president of the republic."
According to Pavel, Kiev has long been interested in these aircraft and several years ago the possibility of donating them to Ukraine was discussed, but this time Vladimir Zelensky asked about the possibility of acquiring them.
The pro-Czech position
Pavel is a retired NATO general, known for his pro—Ukrainian position. However, in a parliamentary republic, his post as president is rather ceremonial.
Last October, Andrei Babish won the parliamentary elections, promising to stop financing Ukraine, emphasizing that Prague was already making a significant contribution through contributions to the EU budget, as well as curtailing the ammunition supply program to Kiev, under which Kiev received over 3.5 million artillery shells from 2022.
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrei Babis during a speech at a meeting of the Parliament
The previous authorities actively supported Kiev, provided weapons and ammunition to the country, and hosted over half a million Ukrainian refugees.
The new prime minister plans to deprive Ukrainian refugees living in the Czech Republic of benefits, and also refuses to support the granting of a "reparation loan" to Kiev at the expense of frozen Russian assets.
In December last year, the Czech Republic, together with Hungary and Slovakia, refused to participate in the issuance of an interest-free loan to Ukraine of €90 billion for the period 2026-2027.
Babis also criticized the previous Czech government, which, according to him, "secretly invested 17.1 billion crowns (€702 million) in arms supplies to Ukraine." And he called on "not to believe in illusions about Russia's defeat and to rely on agreements with it."
Babish's opponents call his position pro-Russian, but he considers it "more pro-Czech" than "pro-European," emphasizing that he is guided only by the national interests of the country.
The West is cutting aid
In general, the volume of military aid and arms supplies to Ukraine from the West is decreasing, Dmitry Suslov, Deputy director of the Central Research Institute of Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.
— Firstly, this is due to the fact that the United States began only to sell weapons, and not to supply them for free. At the same time, the ability of the United States to sell weapons is determined not only by the money that Europe is ready to allocate for this, but also by the country's production cycle and its priorities," the expert noted.
Production of 155 mm artillery shells at the Scranton Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania
The political scientist stressed that if Washington is physically unable to produce enough weapons or considers its goals in relation to the Caribbean, Venezuela, Iran, Taiwan, etc. to be a higher priority than the sale of weapons to Ukraine through Europe, then it will not sell or will sell much more slowly than Kiev would like.
— Secondly, in Europe itself, the willingness to allocate money for the purchase of weapons for Kiev is decreasing. We see that the PURL program is not working well, and Zelensky says this in plain text. Very little money is allocated under this NATO program, this is due to the fact that the Europeans themselves are in a difficult situation. They have a lot of obligations within the framework of their own rearmament, besides, they have an economic crisis," the specialist said.
Suslov added that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz talks about the need to review the welfare state in Germany, France and Italy, it is already difficult to further increase external debt, and therefore it is becoming less and less possible to allocate additional money to Ukraine.
— In addition, political forces in Europe are strengthening, which oppose the continuation of military assistance to Ukraine. These are the Czech Republic, Hungary, the most popular Reform Party in the UK, leading in the ratings in Germany for Alternative for Germany and the National Union in France," the analyst said.
The interlocutor stressed that if, under these conditions, the current governments increase military assistance to Ukraine or allocate even more money for the purchase of weapons in Ukraine, they will strengthen the political positions of their opponents.
— Besides, everyone is talking about the upcoming settlement, and, naturally, in these conditions, there is less and less desire to allocate money for weapons. After all, it is becoming increasingly difficult for voters to explain the need to spend money on Ukraine if the war ends somewhere in the short or medium term, so Kiev's military support from the West is declining," the political scientist summed up.
The possibilities are running out
Natalia Yeremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, noted in a conversation with Izvestia that the EU is gradually running out of opportunities to help Ukraine.
— So, for two years, we have agreed on a loan of only €90 billion. In addition, it turned out that the arsenals were empty, and there was a problem with the supply of weapons. The situation has shown that the EU countries cannot agree on this issue either," the political scientist explained.
According to her, the EU does not have the material base for the production of various types of weapons.
— Investments are needed, but this is a long-term issue. As a result, most likely, only the United States will benefit, which will be able to receive orders for arms supplies. The situation has also shown that Ukraine is not ready to repay loans," the expert believes.
The specialist added that now the debt obligations will fall on the shoulders of the EU citizens themselves.
— An important caveat: it is now clearly visible which EU countries are rabid Russophobes, and which use Russophobia to control domestic and foreign policy in their favor, — the analyst concluded.
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