Czech Senate discusses European EUR 90B loan to Ukraine

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerova stated this during a Senate discussion on European assistance to Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"There is no need for so many doubts about the position of Andrej Babis's government – it is clearly defined: we have a clear anti-Russian stance, and we clearly support Ukraine," the deputy head of government emphasized. The representative of the ANO movement recalled that in the parliamentary elections last autumn, this political force won by a large margin, and its election program clearly stated that the Czech Republic is an integral part of the EU and NATO and that it supports Ukraine, including backing most of the resolutions and most of the laws supporting Ukraine passed by the previous government of Petr Fiala.

Schillerova noted that the Czech authorities had nothing against immobilizing Russian assets during the December summit in Brussels, where intense debates took place on this issue, which Belgium did not support, as most Russian assets are located on its territory. As a result, the debate shifted to who and how would provide money for Ukraine, and at that time Prime Minister Babis actively suggested giving preference to "a smaller amount, since this problem arose, so that the amount would be provided for a shorter period." The Czech Republic did not block the EU loan of EUR 90 billion but stated that it would not guarantee it, as this is a huge amount for the Czech economy, the finance minister explained.

"This would mean CZK 92 billion (EUR 3.68 billion) for the Czech Republic… I think there is a huge risk of burdening future budgets here, and we did not want to take that risk. You all know what our economic situation is. We did not in any way block the receipt of the loan. We were absolutely active in favor of it being provided," she stressed.

At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Finance noted that "the Czech Republic will bear no financial costs related to the granted loan, will not guarantee the loan, and will not participate in paying the interest. At the same time, Czech companies are an integral part of European supply chains and will not be excluded from public procurement financed by this loan… The Czech Republic supported all legislative changes related to the implementation of the loan agreed by the European Council."

She also added that Hungary is currently blocking approval of the amendment to the multiannual financial framework due to the suspension of supplies through the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline, and the European Commission and the Presidency are working intensively to unblock the situation and allow the EU to provide Ukraine with the promised loan as soon as possible. The Czech Republic supports these efforts.

During the hearings, senators from opposition parties sharply criticized the government. In particular, the chairman of the upper chamber of the Czech parliament, Milos Vystrcil, drew attention to the fact that, in his opinion, the Czech Republic is "gradually losing respect and authority" at the European level; that the country is allegedly "perceived more as someone who cleverly waits to see what will happen and what is best to do so that it is beneficial for us."

"This is not in the national interest if we care only about ourselves, in other words, only about our nation, because we can best take care of our nation when we take care of others. Then we have a chance that when we need it, they will act similarly," the Senate chairman said.

He appealed to the government with a "plea" to reconsider its current position on not guaranteeing the loan.

"At some point peace will come, and then it will be very important how we are perceived by those who today are striving for this peace and those who want it. Today it is Ukraine that commands one of the most combat-capable and powerful armies, and some Ukrainians, our fellow citizens, live here with us. If we want to cope with all this, it is good that we can get along with them the way we get along with partners and those with whom we want to cooperate in the long term," Vystrcil emphasized.

As reported, in December 2025 the European Council failed to resolve the issue of using frozen Russian assets to guarantee a loan to Ukraine. Instead, by the votes of 24 countries it was decided to guarantee it with the EU budget. Hungary and Slovakia did not support the decision at all, while the Czech Republic supported it but stated that it would not financially guarantee the loan.

Photo: Olha Tanasiichuk / Ukrinform

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