Czechia clearly emphasizes its position: it will not send troops to Ukraine, but is ready to support certain points of the Coalition of the Willing’s joint declaration.
The Prime Minister of Czechia, Andrej Babiš, expressed this position during his stay in Paris after the Coalition of the Willing meeting.
“Clearly, the declaration proposed today means something different for every country, something of its own… And for us, points such as 2, 3, or 4 are not acceptable: we will never send our troops to Ukraine… At the same time, I think we can be in this, … agree, for example, with points 1 and 5 of the declaration.”
– Andrej Babiš
Key Areas of Support and Prospects
The Prime Minister stressed that the declaration generally outlines steps after a ceasefire is reached. At present it is hard to name a specific date for peace or a ceasefire, but he expressed hope for progress in this direction, including with the participation of the United States.
Also, Babiš noted that Czechia is among the leaders in accepting Ukrainian refugees: about 700,000 citizens, of whom roughly 400,000 remain at the moment, which accounts for about 6% of the country’s population.
The Prime Minister, who took part for the first time in a Coalition of the Willing meeting, noted the broad presence of representatives from 37 countries, including heads of governments and delegations, as well as guests from the United States.
As a result of the Paris meeting on January 6, a declaration of readiness by Coalition participants to support security guarantees anchored politically and legally, which activate after the ceasefire in Ukraine and complement bilateral agreements and constitutional provisions of the respective countries, was adopted.
The first and fifth points of the document provide for monitoring the ceasefire and developing long-term defense cooperation with Ukraine. The second, third, and fourth points discuss the possibility of direct support from Ukraine’s defense forces.
However, the Czech position indicates willingness to contribute to security and stability in the region through monitoring the ceasefire and defense partnerships with Ukraine, without deploying troops on its territory.
Overall, the Czech position reflects support for a peaceful settlement and stability in Europe, with a focus on active partnership with Ukraine and responsible use of security tools without the direct deployment of military formations.