This is closed issue. Czech Republic will not transfer L-159 aircraft to Ukraine, - Babiš
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has stated that the issue of the possible transfer of L-159 light combat aircraft to Ukraine is closed—there are no plans to supply these aircraft to Kyiv.
This was reported by Idnes, according to Censor.NET, with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
Question closed
"There are no L-159s and there will be none. That's a closed issue," Babiš is quoted as saying by the publication.
The Czech prime minister also sharply criticized the chief of the Czech Army General Staff, Karel Řehka, who had previously publicly supported the idea of transferring these aircraft to Ukraine.
Karel Řezník would be better off keeping quiet," Babiš said.
According to him, the general's position contradicts the statements of Defense Minister Jaromír Zuna, who emphasized the need to preserve the aircraft for the needs of the Czech army.
"He must decide on his position; he must know where he stands. I don't understand why Mr. Rzheka is speaking out against his minister—it's not normal," the prime minister said.
Babish called the discussions surrounding the possible supply of L-159s to Ukraine an artificial problem and rejected any further discussion of the sale or transfer of these aircraft.
What preceded it?
We would like to remind you that earlier, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized President Petr Pavel's statement regarding the possible supply of aircraft to Ukraine without the government's approval.
The Czech Foreign Minister acknowledged that during his visit to Kyiv, the Ukrainian side raised the issue of acquiring aircraft. At the same time, he stressed that he had not made any promises, as this is a sensitive issue for the government coalition and international partners.
