Zelensky holds first phone call with Czechia's populist leader since election win
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Czechia's populist ANO (Yes) party leader Andrej Babis, who won the country's parliamentary elections, the president said on Oct. 9.
The call comes as Kyiv worries that a Babis-led government could undermine Czechia's pro-Ukraine stance, as he has questioned continued military aid and Ukraine's path toward EU membership.
Zelensky said he briefed Babis on Ukraine's diplomatic efforts to achieve peace in cooperation with the U.S., European countries, and other partners, as well as on broader developments in diplomacy.
"Mr. Andrej noted the courage of the Ukrainian people in our struggle against Russian aggression," Zelensky said. "We agreed to discuss our future cooperation during a face-to-face meeting soon."
Babis's ANO party won the election with 34.5%, unseating the center-right coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, which had been one of Kyiv's strongest supporters.
The outgoing administration supplied Ukraine with tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, helicopters, and other military equipment, and hosted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
In 2024, Czechia launched a major initiative to ease Ukraine's ammunition shortages by coordinating international purchases of artillery shells. The project delivered 1.5 million rounds last year and an additional 1.1 million as of September 2025.
Babis, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021, said in July that if his party returned to power, it would end the initiative, claiming the government lacked transparency in handling arms supplies.
After his electoral victory, he said the initiative was "a good idea in principle" but should be reassessed and possibly transferred to NATO.
Although ANO secured the largest share of votes, it lacks a parliamentary majority and will need to form a coalition. Babis is now negotiating with two smaller right-wing populist parties — Motorists for Themselves and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD).
While the Motorists said they would not oppose continuing the ammunition initiative, the SPD called for ending all Czech military aid to Ukraine, describing it as "an escalation of the conflict."
Babis has long expressed skepticism toward Ukraine's European integration. After the election, he said that Ukraine is "not ready" to join the EU and that Czechia should limit financial support to Kyiv.
The politician also said that Czechia would not allocate additional funds for arms to Ukraine from its state budget but would continue to support Kyiv through the EU.
Babis has also aligned himself with nationalist leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a Kremlin ally, and previously called Ukraine's prospective EU membership a "catastrophe."
Martin Fornusek
