© EPA/ MARTIN DIVISEK The victor in the Czech parliamentary vote conversed with President Zelensky.
The chief of the Action of Dissatisfied Citizens party, which triumphed in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary elections, Andrej Babis, announced on Thursday, following a dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that he intends to travel to Ukraine in the coming year.
Babis mentioned that he encountered Zelensky personally on three occasions, the most recent being in November 2019 in Kyiv.
“I am pleased that he reached out to me and detailed the present circumstances. I voiced our backing and hope that the conflict concludes swiftly. We also concurred that, should everything proceed favorably, I will journey to Ukraine next year, and we will deliberate on all matters face-to-face,” he communicated on X.
Subsequently, Zelenskyy conveyed that Babis, during their exchange, highlighted the valor of the Ukrainian populace in confronting Russian hostility.
“I briefed on our diplomatic endeavors to secure an equitable peace in conjunction with the US, Europe, and various other nations, along with an overview of the prevailing diplomatic landscape. We decided to explore our ongoing collaboration during an imminent personal rendezvous,” the president appended.
It is worth recalling that prior to the elections, Andrej Babis pledged to halt the Czech initiative for furnishing ammunition to Ukraine, and subsequent to the elections, he asserted that Ukraine was not prepared for EU membership.
Andrej Babis established ANO in 2012 and has remained its leader ever since. From 2014 to 2017, he held the roles of Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, and from 2017 to 2021, he occupied the position of the nation’s Prime Minister.
Babis is implicated in a pair of cases under scrutiny by the Czech police and the European Anti-Fraud Office. He is additionally accused of deceit in procuring EU grants for his firm, Stork’s Nest. A Prague tribunal acquitted Babis of deception involving €2 million in EU subsidies preceding the Czech presidential contest in 2023.
The populist ANO party prevailed in the Czech Republic’s parliamentary elections. And currently, its figurehead, billionaire Andrej Babis, is gearing up to reassume the prime ministerial post. Will his administration deviate from the Czech Republic’s unwavering support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia? Explore this topic in Volodymyr Kravchenko’s piece “Sometimes They Come Back. What the New Czech Government Threatens Ukraine with.”
