The new Czech Prime Minister Andrejis said he would not participate in any form of financial support for Ukraine, saying the European Union (EU) needed to find other options to continue funding Kiev.
In a video posted on his personal Facebook on December 13, Mr. Babis agreed with the view of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever when he opposed the plan to use frozen Russian assets in some EU countries to provide compensation loans to Ukraine.
I agree with Mr. Bart De Wever. The European Commission (EC) must find another way to finance Ukraine, said Mr. Babis.
According to Mr. Babis, the Czech Republic needs money for its people and has no money for other countries. Therefore, this country is determined to not guarantee the ECs plan, and also not pay because the starving market is out of stock.
Czech media said that if the compensation loan is approved, the country is expected to spend about 4.3 billion USD. Mr. Babis affirmed that the Czech Republic simply cannot afford it.
The above statements were made in the context of the EC aiming to reach an agreement on a plan to use about 200 billion euros in frozen Russian assets at the EU summit taking place on December 18-19.
However, concerned about the risk of legal retaliation against Russia, Belgium - which houses the payment center Euroclear, which holds the majority of the above assets - has asked other EU countries to provide guarantees and share the burden if this amount is eventually forced to be returned. The Belgian Prime Minister said that the above move is no different from "stealing" Russian money.
In what is seen as a roadmap for the compensation loan plan, on December 12, the EU passed a controversial law, replacing the mechanism of extending the blockade of Russian assets according to the 6-month consensus with a permanent blockade to avoid the risk of being denied by countries.
This move raises concerns about weakening the EU's core principles, according to which major decisions on foreign affairs and finance must reach absolute consensus. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has condemned the decision as legal.
Several other EU countries, including Italy, Malta and Bulgaria, have also expressed similar views, calling for alternatives. Meanwhile, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that continuing to provide capital to Kiev will only prolong the conflict.
