The Czech government set firm limits on military involvement abroad. Babiš signalled training may continue domestically while refusing troop deployment to Ukraine.
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Babiš expressed the country’s stance on the participation of Czech forces in a multinational mission in Ukraine. According to him, Czech troops will not be directly involved in combat, while training Ukrainian forces on Czech soil could continue without sending units to Ukraine.
They (Czech soldiers) definitely will not. We need Czech soldiers at home.
– Babiš
The Prime Minister stressed that the government would not favor new financial mechanisms for Kyiv, and financial aid should primarily ensure achieving the goal of 2% of GDP for defense and supporting internal priorities.
Regarding defense policy, Babiš criticized the idea of creating an integrated coalition against ballistic missiles. He noted that European states should not build missile defense through coalitions of “chosen states” and should jointly develop a large-scale project for the entire EU. He described the new initiative of nine European countries and Ukraine as largely a political project of France and the United Kingdom.
I think this should be a European project, i.e., a project of the European Union. The United Kingdom should not be there either.
– Babiš
Reaction of leaders and further steps
After the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer outlined clear plans for multinational forces comprising more than 25 countries, ready to deploy within a few days to ensure peace after a ceasefire.
In the Czech Republic last week, an internal debate emerged regarding directing one-off aid through the American PURL project.
It is also known that the United Kingdom agreed to contribute to the EU credit to support Ukraine for 2026–2027, corresponding to the cost of contracts with British defense manufacturers. In a joint statement by the EU and the United Kingdom dated July 13, the joint commitment to Ukraine and the interdependence of the EU and UK defense-industrial bases was confirmed.
Such events indicate Europe’s long-standing attention to Ukraine’s security and the preservation of joint efforts in the defense sphere.