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The Czech Republic has allocated approximately 140 million Czech crowns (about $6.5 million) to the Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which finances the procurement of U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine, UATV English reports.
The contribution became public after representatives of the governing coalition confirmed the transfer, triggering political debate within the Czech government.
Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) leader and Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura criticized the decision following talks with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, arguing that financing weapons for Ukraine does not reflect the government’s political program.
“Sending weapons or money for weapons, in my view, does not correspond to the government’s program,” Okamura said, adding that neither he nor his party had been consulted before the decision was made.
Despite his criticism, Okamura said his party would remain in the governing coalition.
The Czech Foreign Ministry, which financed the contribution from its budget, said the payment fulfilled a commitment made by the previous government and could not be reversed.
The announcement follows internal disagreements within the Czech coalition after Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Foreign Minister Petr Macinka revealed during the NATO summit in Ankara that part of Ukraine assistance funding had been redirected to the PURL initiative. Defense Minister Jaromír Zuna later said he had not been informed about the decision in advance.
PURL serves as a multinational mechanism for financing priority U.S. military equipment for Ukraine, including air defense capabilities. Recent contributions to the initiative have also been announced by several European allies, including Slovenia.
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