Leaders of the Czech government coalition and opposition Pirates reacted today to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, saying that Trump has made a concession to the aggressor, abandoned an ally, and thrown Ukraine overboard.
In a statement on social media, they agreed on the need for an immediate European response, as the only way to ensure security not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole of Europe.
“Thus, we, the Europeans, now take the main share of responsibility,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, leader of the Mayors and Independents (STAN). “It is in our interest that Russia does not succeed in Ukraine, that the Russian presence does not move closer to our borders, and that the scenario where the fate of a country is decided by the superpowers without its participation does not repeat.”
Prompt and concrete assistance to Ukraine from the Czech Republic and other willing and responsible countries is the most important step now, said Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil (ODS), referring to Sunday’s summit in London, where representatives of some EU countries, Britain and Canada agreed on the next steps in aid to Ukraine and a plan for negotiations.
According to Chamber of Deputies Speaker and TOP 09 leader Marketa Pekarova Adamova, Trump is putting the victim and the aggressor on the same level, and by suspending military aid to Ukraine, he is facilitating the further advance of Russian troops. “Why should the criminal Putin stop killing people when the U.S. itself is disarming a defending country? A cynical and dangerous capitulation to evil,” she stated.
Chamber Deputy Speaker Jan Bartosek (KDU-CSL) drew an analogy with Czech history: “Bringing long-standing allies to their knees and making concessions to the aggressor. We know this ‘ingenious political chess’ from our history in 1938. How it ended, I hope everyone knows,” he wrote, referring to the Munich Agreement of September 1938, in which Britain, France, Italy and Nazi Germany agreed to cede Czechoslovakia’s border territories to Germany.
Bartosek warned Russia had no plans to stop in Ukraine. “Europe must be able to ensure its own security,” he added.
On the other hand, Radek Vondracek, deputy leader of the opposition ANO, said that it was necessary to negotiate with the United States. He wrote on social media that the coalition leaders would not help Ukraine with emotional shouting and strong words.
“The seriousness of the situation requires realism,” wrote Vondracek. “Instead, all that has been coming out of the government camp this morning is emotional shouting and strong words. This will not help Ukraine to move the situation one single millimetre. It is necessary to negotiate with the U.S. But do the government politicians still know what a dialogue is?”
ANO leader and former PM Andrej Babis, the party’s leader in the autumn parliamentary elections, has not yet commented on the situation.
Justice Minister Pavel Blazek (ODS) noted that politics is not just about economic matters. He said Trump’s move was a mistake that could be very costly for the U.S. in the long run, but unfortunately, it will also affect the entire West.
Blazek wrote on social media that Trump was overlooking the historical and cultural kinship of the U.S. to Europe, of which the U.S. has been very aware throughout its history. “In domestic politics, he (Trump) fights neo-Marxism, but in foreign policy, he has so far acted like a pure Marxist,” he wrote. “Politics does not work on the basis of economic issues alone. It is a mistake that may well backfire on the U.S. in the long run. And, unfortunately, for the West as a whole, at least as we have known it so far.”
Pirate Party leader Zdenek Hrib described Trump’s decision as a dangerous mistake. “Europe must be united and urgently find a solution to replace America in aid. We need to reset our security policy so that Europeans can feel safe, regardless of what else is said in the White House. I call on the Czech government to put a clear plan on how to increase our country’s defence budget and where to invest the money on the table,” Hrib said.
His predecessor at the helm of the Pirate Party, Ivan Bartos, said it was not enough just to debate the defence budget percentage. “It is necessary to say clearly what is important for the Czech Republic and what is important for Europe as a whole,” he said. “This must lead to strategic investments in defence technologies, support for domestic industry and an increase in production capacities. Unfortunately, competitiveness today also has this dimension – to be able to defend oneself, to intimidate a possible aggressor and to win the information war in cyberspace.”
According to Josef Cogan, leader of the STAN parliamentary group, Trump has not helped Ukraine in any way and is mainly trying to coerce it. “It may only be a matter of time before he switches to extortion. I believe that Europe will never stoop to behaving like that,” he wrote.
Trump ordered a cutoff of U.S. military aid to Ukraine on Monday, according to Bloomberg and Fox News. He did so after Friday’s clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which led to the White House pulling out of the expected signing of a deal on the United States using Ukraine’s mineral resources.
