PM Babiš: Security Council to review ammunitions initiative on January 7

The ammunition initiative was fundamentally a good idea, but questions remain over whether it was free of corruption, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said after Monday’s cabinet meeting. He said the initiative is to be reviewed by the State Security Council, which is scheduled to meet on January 7.

After the cabinet meeting, Babiš declined to comment further on the future of the initiative, saying he had discussed the matter with partners in the European Council and would announce a final position after the meeting of the State Security Council.

He also defended Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (nominated by SPD), who said last week that the initiative should continue. SPD deputy leader Radim Fiala later disputed this and said Zůna would limit future comments to military matters.

“The minister can say what he wants,” Babiš said, adding that while Zůna did not have all the information at the time, there was nothing wrong with his remarks and the issue had been clarified.