Czech PM: Czechia backs EU support for Ukraine, rejects extraordinary guarantees

The Czech Republic does not question the need for European Union support for Ukraine, but would prefer to have it financed in the same way as until now, without extraordinary guarantees from Prague, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said at a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies’ European Affairs Committee ahead of an upcoming European Council summit.

EU leaders will decide at the summit between two proposed options for financing Ukraine in 2026 and 2027. The European Commission has put forward either an EU loan or a so-called reparations loan backed by frozen Russian assets.

According to Babiš, the Czech Republic could in principle support using frozen Russian assets to secure a loan for Ukraine to ensure the functioning of the state, but only under certain conditions. Belgium’s concerns must be fully taken into account, and any guarantees provided by member states must remain entirely voluntary, he said. Babiš added that it would make more sense to use frozen Russian assets for reparations after the end of the war.