Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has denounced opposition leader Andrej Babis of having indirectly backed Russian President Vladimir Putin during the conflict in Ukraine. His comments arrive as Babis, chief of the populists ANO party, looks set to come out on top in the country’s next parliament elections.
Fiala, whose coalition government has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, accused Babis of siding with Moscow’s interests on defense spending and military assistance. Speaking in an interview to the Financial Times, he attacked Babis for vetoing a Czech-led effort to buy ammunition for Ukraine from international donations.
Babis opposes this ammunition project, opposes defense spending, and talks about peace without conditions,” Fiala said. “He assists Vladimir Putin it’s absolutely clear.”
The Czech-led ammunition project, which collects donations from allied countries to purchase ammunition for Ukraine, might be threatened if Babis comes to power, Fiala cautioned.
Recent surveys suggest that Babis has a strong lead with 33% of voter backing, while Fiala’s coalition is lagging at around 17%. Babis has been moving in the direction of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, both of whom are in favor of diplomatic talks rather than military assistance to Ukraine. But Kyiv is hesitant, claiming that Moscow does not have genuine intent for peace talks.
The Czech Republic will conduct parliamentary elections no later than October 2025, with the total of 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies up for election. Internal strife also engulfs the ruling coalition of Fiala, most recently evidenced by the Pirate Party withdrawing from the Cabinet following the resignation of Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartos, whose leader he is. Uncertainty still grips the political landscape approaching the election.
