President Trump’s comments anger Czechs, who have since sent record amounts of aid to Ukraine
The heated meeting that took place last week on Friday in the Oval Office between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky led to increased interest in Czechia in financial aid to Ukraine.
Gift for Putin, Memory of the Nation, People in Need, and Team4Ukraine collections have all seen an increase in donations since the meeting in the Oval Office on Friday evening. Martin Ondráček of the Gift for Putin collection spoke to Czech Radio about the record-breaking weekend:
"When President Zelensky arrived at the White House, there were CZK 220,000 there. After the meeting, which lasted approximately 40 minutes, there were CZK 1 million. By Friday, we had reached nearly CZK 3 million."
Tomáš Vyhnálek, director of fundraising at People in Need, also spoke to Czech Radio about the growing donations. The SOS Ukraine fundraiser has received CZK 20 million over the past week, which began with the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We keep adding more donors to the so-called ‘club of friends’ of People in Need, which is based on small donations. Every month, people donate to help causes around the world, including in Ukraine. We currently have 40,000 members in that club.”
Ondráček adds that donations have been growing not just since Friday, but since February 19, when the US president first published a post on the social network Truth Social criticizing President Zelensky. The daily amount collected has since grown to double or triple.
With this, it is likely that the remaining amount will be used to purchase a Black Hawk helicopter. The collection for the purchase of the CZK 70 million machine has been running since November 2023.
Similarly, the money that people sent to Team4Ukraine's account will go towards the purchase of bombing drones for units fighting in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, as well as the purchase of a firefighting robot for the Kharkiv firefighters.
Observers comment that there is a growing desire among Czechs to not overlook the Ukrainian struggle, linking this to the historical trauma the country shares. This may suggest that public sentiment is intensifying, particularly as Trump’s actions suggest he is emerging as an authoritarian figure rather than a reliable ally.
Ondráček shares his experience, noting that Trump’s actions are increasing public pressure in Czechia, with some people responding by mobilizing opposition, even using credit cards to generate counter-pressure.
