Babiš casts doubt on “coalition of the willing” and proposes European equivalent of Patriot

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has questioned the effectiveness of the “coalition of the willing” and the ballistic missile defense coalition formed in Paris last week.

This was reported by the news agency TASR.

Responding to a question about the possible Czech participation in the emerging defensive architecture to counter ballistic missile strikes, Babiš expressed skepticism.

“This will probably turn out to be just another declaration that leads nowhere,” the prime minister said.

He was even more blunt in his assessment of Czech participation in the “coalition of the willing,” stating that “the result is zero.”

At the same time, Babiš outlined his own vision for European defense cooperation. According to him, European states need to jointly develop a missile defense system comparable to the American Patriot surface-to-air missile complex. As a model for such cooperation, he cited the consolidation of European aircraft manufacturing under the Airbus project.

Babiš intends to address a letter with this proposal to European leaders.