Czech government refuses to sell L-159 aircraft to Ukraine
Czechia will not sell its L-159 light combat aircraft to Ukraine, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Jan. 19, despite Czech President Petr Pavel advocating for the move.
"Mr. (Defense Minister Jaromir) Zuna clearly said that the aircraft still have a service life of about 15 years and that the army needs them," Babis said after a government meeting, Czech Television reported.
Pavel, who visited Ukraine last week, said on Jan. 18 that Kyiv's offer to buy the planes is an opportunity for the Czech defense industry and argued that selling four out of the Czech military's 24 L-159 jets would not endanger its defense capabilities.
The news underscores the foreign policy divide between Czechia's Ukraine-friendly head of state and the country's new ruling populist coalition.
"I'm afraid that with this decision, we are moving closer to selfishness rather than solidarity," Pavel, a retired NATO general, commented on the refusal to sell the aircraft to the country facing the Russian invasion.
Senior government officials, including Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, have criticized the president for raising the prospect of a sale, arguing that the decision falls outside his authority.
Pavel, in turn, noted that Ukraine has been seeking to acquire the aircraft for at least half a year and said he was simply continuing earlier negotiations.
The L-159 is a subsonic attack aircraft and trainer jet manufactured by the Czech company Aero Vodochody.
Tomio Okamura, head of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party and the coalition's most vocal opponent of aiding Ukraine, said the jets have low residual value but remain highly valuable to the country's armed forces.
Czechia's populist coalition that ousted the pro-Ukraine government of ex-Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the October 2025 elections has vowed to halt assistance to Kyiv from the Czech budget, instead supporting U.S. President Donald Trump's peace efforts.
Despite this, Macinka, who also visited Kyiv in early January, affirmed that the two countries remain partners and that Czechia would continue to coordinate the ammunition initiative for Ukraine.
