Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the Czech Republic should follow what he called positive examples set by countries such as the United States, Hungary and Poland. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Mandiner Maxima, he reviewed the results of his previous term in office and outlined the challenges facing his new government, which took office less than a month ago.

According to the Mandiner summary, Babiš said the Czech Republic has fallen behind other Visegrád Group countries in recent years, while Hungary is performing strongly. He added that his cabinet inherited a budget deficit worth several billion euros from the previous government.

Babiš added that it was not possible to guarantee further loans for Ukraine. He argued that under the next multiannual EU budget framework, a total of 377 billion euros would be allocated to Ukraine, which he said had already caused multibillion euro losses. He warned that Ukraine would never be able to repay this money.

He said peace was needed but maintained that Ukraine was not yet ready to join the European Union. He also argued that without US President Donald Trump, achieving peace was practically impossible.

Turning to regional cooperation, Babiš said he would consider the re-establishment of the Visegrád Group a successful strategy, noting that it had worked well in the past and that allies were needed. He recalled that his ANO party had joined the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, which he described as a project of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and said the group had a very bright future ahead.

Babiš also spoke about his good and friendly relationship with Orbán, whom he described as the most experienced European leader and one of the world’s leading politicians. He said they had worked together effectively to defend their countries’ interests and had learned from each other, adding that Hungary was extremely important for the Czech Republic.

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