Czech President criticizes doubts about transfer of aircraft to Ukraine

The possible sale of four L-159 combat training aircraft to Ukraine will not weaken the Czech Republic’s defense capabilities.

This was stated by the country’s President Petr Pavel after a meeting with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican.

According to the president, the Czech army has 24 such aircraft in service, so the transfer of some of them is an acceptable risk to support Ukraine, which has been resisting Russian aggression for almost four years.

“I’m afraid that with this decision we are moving closer to selfishness than to solidarity,” Pavel emphasized, commenting on criticism of the idea of transferring the aircraft.

He emphasized that assistance to Ukraine remains a matter of common security and responsibility of European countries, not just the internal balance of defense resources.

It was previously reported that the Czech Republic’s ruling coalition did not support the transfer of Aero L-159 ALCA combat aircraft to Ukraine and actually blocked their sale to Kyiv.

Recall that in Prague, the three-party ruling coalition of the Czech Republic is discussing the possibility of transferring L-159 aircraft to Ukraine, which has sparked debate among some politicians.