Babis surprised by reaction to his government's decision to refuse sale of aircraft to Ukraine
He stated this on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.
"I am struck by the amount of fuss that some journalists, and especially the opposition, have made around the L-159 aircraft," Babis said.
He noted that President of the Republic Petr Pavel spoke about the possibility of transferring these aircraft to Ukraine back in 2023, at the same time when then Defense Minister Jana Cernochova allegedly refused to do so. According to Babis, Cernochová justified this by saying that the aircraft were needed to train Czech soldiers.
"And of course, this is still relevant. So we have the same position on this issue as the previous government," the prime minister stated.
He added that he is not surprised by the "hypocrisy of opposition politicians," who are competing over who can insult the current government more, nor by the criticism from some journalists "who are unable to verify the facts."
"However, I am surprised by the words of the president, who speaks of selfishness. From the first day of our government, I have tried to ensure proper relations between the government and the president, because this is important for the functioning of our country," Babis said.
Babis did not mention a word about the latest terrorist missile and drone attack on Ukraine that took place during the night.
The head of the Czech government departed for Davos to attend the World Economic Forum.
As reported, the day before, the government of Andrej Babis announced at its meeting and after consultations with coalition partners that it could not sell Ukraine four L-159 aircraft out of the 24 possessed by the Czech Armed Forces, as they are needed by the Czech military itself. The possibility of transferring the aircraft was made public by Czech President Petr Pavel during his recent visit to Kyiv. Responding to the government's decision, he said it showed that the Czech Republic was moving toward selfishness rather than solidarity.
Photo: Jan Handrejch / Novinky
