Czech Prime Minister Babis rails against EU budget support for Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has voiced strong opposition to the EU's proposal to allocate substantial funds to Ukraine within the upcoming seven-year budget cycle. The Czech leader made his sentiments clear during an October 16 summit of EU leaders in Brussels. The EU operates on a seven-year budgeting period that requires unanimous agreement, with leaders aiming to finalize the 2028-2034 budget before the year ends.

While reaching consensus on the entire budget proves challenging, support for Ukraine had been a seemingly united front until Babis's recent remarks. Babis expressed his disapproval of the proposed 100 billion euros ($112 billion) earmarked for Ukraine, stating that he does not appreciate the funds being borrowed. He further emphasized that these resources should not be included in the multi-year financial framework, where member states are already facing financial constraints.

The initial proposal for the budget had allocated 100 billion euros, which was later reduced to 89 billion euros ($100 billion) as part of a compromise proposal in June. This figure remained unchanged in the latest compromise, published on October 10. Regardless, Czechia will not commit to this amount, Babis affirmed.