Ahead of the Budapest summit he ruled out a Czech ammunition initiative on the agenda. Leaders will instead focus on energy costs, the EU budget and Ukraine.
Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš said before departing for Budapest that, within the framework of the Visegrád Four, the leaders would discuss the energy market, the EU budget, and the war in Ukraine, but the issue of the Czech ammunition initiative would not be on the agenda.
According to Babiš, after a brief meeting last week in Brussels this time the V4 leaders will have more time to discuss the main topics that are typically addressed at European Council meetings: energy prices, the Strait of Hormuz, the war in Ukraine, and, above all, the multiannual financial framework.
In response to a clarifying question about whether the ammunition initiative coordinated by the Czech Republic would be on the agenda, Babiš answered in the negative and explained that the V4 countries are not actively involved in supplying ammunition to Ukraine.
Speaking about the V4 format, Babiš called it very important, particularly for advancing Czech interests, and expressed satisfaction that it is becoming active again.
Context and prospects after the summit
The Czech prime minister also criticized the previous government, saying that it had wrongly damaged relations with the then-Hungarian prime minister due to differing views on Russia’s war against Ukraine. At the same time, he acknowledged that the Polish prime minister had extremely negative relations with the previous Hungarian administration as well.
I act differently. Now the Visegrád Group can function again… This is a union of four countries with a population of over 60 million people. This is an extremely promising and successful region with the lowest unemployment rate and minimal debt, which is rapidly developing
– Andrej Babiš
He also stated that this Thursday he would travel to participate in a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, scheduled in Gdańsk.
On Tuesday, 23 June in Budapest, the Visegrád Four summit at the level of heads of government will take place. During it, an official handover of the annual presidency of the V4 from Hungary to Slovakia is expected, which will begin on 1 July 2026. This is the first summit for Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Madar.
The Visegrád Four unites the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.
As expected, the meeting will confirm the four-country alliance’s readiness to coordinate closely on shared priorities.