Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernohova criticized former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who announced his intention to cancel the Czech initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine if he returns to power.

She wrote about this on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.

"Mr. Babis has gone too far in his populism. The cancellation of the ammunition initiative will not only damage the reputation of the Czech Republic, but will also become a fundamental threat to our security, as it is one of the tools to stop Russian aggression far from our borders," the minister wrote.

She accused Babis of being ready to sacrifice everything, including national interests, in order to be the leader among Czech billionaires.

Chernokhova denied that the ammunition initiative is opaque or carried out at inflated prices. The biggest proof of this is that allies who provide funds for the purchase of ammunition trust the Czech Republic, the head of the Ministry of Defense emphasized.

The leader of the ANO movement, Andrej Babis, previously stated that if his party wins the fall elections to the lower house of parliament, the new government will cancel the initiative to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.

Parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic will be held on October 3-4 this year.

As reported, the Czech ammunition initiative was launched by the President and Government of the Czech Republic in February 2024. Within its framework, the Czech Republic purchases ammunition from countries outside the EU. Thanks to the initiative, Ukraine received 1.5 million large-caliber ammunition last year, and this year the number is planned to increase. In addition, funding has already been secured for the continuation of the purchase of shells by the beginning of next year.