Czech billionaire Babis pledges to scrap Ukraine ammo program if he returns to power

By Jan Lopatka

Billionaire Czech politician Andrej Babis, whose right-wing ANO party currently leads polls ahead of a general election in October, says he would scrap a Prague-led initiative to supply Ukraine with large-calibre ammunition if he returns to power.

In an interview with Reuters, Babis also said NATO's new defence spending targets are too high and he would review a Czech contract to buy 24 F-35 fighter jets for being too expensive.

The Ukraine programme, set up in 2024 to help fill a gap in supplies to Kyiv after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, helped to deliver 1.5 million rounds last year and shipments continue this year, pulling in money from donor countries and matching it with supplies from around the world.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the program effective during a May visit to Prague.

Babis, who was prime minister from 2017-2021, has long been critical of the ammunition drive, calling it a boon for arms traders who enjoy fat margins without proper transparency.

He said the initiative was "overpriced" and "rotten" and that if he formed part of a new government it would be terminated.

"Of course. Why would we continue? We need money for our people," he said when asked directly if an ANO government would end it. In a follow-up comment, he added NATO could take over the project.

ANO, a member of the far-right Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament, leads Czech opinion polls with around 30%, riding public dissatisfaction with rising living costs. The main bloc of the ruling coalition trails at around 20%.

The party, formed by Babis in 2011, is the most likely leader of any future cabinet, possibly with partners from fringe anti-NATO and anti-EU parties.

Babis, 70, confirmed he was the party's candidate for prime minister, despite an ongoing subsidy fraud case he calls baseless and politically motivated.

Should his ANO (YES) party take power, it will be the latest eastern European country to move to the right, joining Hungary and Slovakia, which have both expressed scepticism over aid for Ukraine at a time NATO members and U.S. President Donald Trump are stepping up munitions for Kyiv.

Babis, one of the richest Czechs with interests in farming, chemicals and other industries, said it was not clear how much Czechs were contributing to the Ukraine munitions drive. The current government said last year it contributed about 35 million euros ($40.63 million).

NATO TARGET TOO HIGH

While a self-proclaimed Trump supporter, Babis said a U.S.-inspired NATO agreement at a summit earlier this month to gradually raise defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035 was also not realistic.

"If I were at a NATO summit and Donald Trump talked about 5%, I will simply say that... we need to keep social peace," Babis said. "And if he says I should jump out of the fifth floor, I will not jump, because I have always acted as a sovereign prime minister."

He said he would meet the law - which mandates 2% spending - but did not pledge to align with the current government's resolution to raise spending by 0.2% per year until 2030.

"We will invest in a transparent way, we will not steal and we will not waste money," he said.

($1 = 0.8614 euros)