Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
France and the UK are now the leaders of hard power in Europe, according to the Czech prime minister, despite Britain’s exit from the EU.
Petr Fiala told the Financial Times that the shift in European leadership was in response to the continued threat from Russia, and pressure from US President Donald Trump to boost military spending. European capitals have been unsettled by the Trump administration’s hostility towards traditional allies and his overtures to Moscow, which Washington no longer describes as the aggressor in the Ukraine war.
“This is the time when stronger states must play the bigger role, those with concrete power, which is France and Great Britain, the European nuclear powers,” Fiala said.
France and the UK are leading discussions about a ‘‘coalition of the willing’’ to provide some post-conflict security to Ukraine if Trump succeeds in brokering a ceasefire with Russia.
The Czech premier praised British leader Sir Keir Starmer’s strong support for Ukraine, and said he saw the UK’s deeper involvement in European security as an opportunity to work closer together, rather than a means for the UK to rejoin the EU.
Fiala said he had long warned his European peers “against punishing Great Britain” for its decision to leave the bloc. “I see here a chance not for [EU] reintegration — I don’t think it’s the goal of the British people — but I hope for stronger and more open co-operation, because it’s very important for our continent.”
Paris and London have been alternating in hosting meetings with leaders from other European capitals to discuss the deployment of a joint “reassurance force”, with the next gathering scheduled in the French capital on Thursday. The UK’s chief of the defence staff will host French counterparts at Northwood base this week for three days of military planning with other coalition nations.
Czech President Petr Pavel had recently suggested the country would deploy forces along with its allies if a common agreement was reached. Fiala, whose government’s approval is required for such a deployment, said the discussion was “premature” as long as no ceasefire was agreed.
“However we should be open to any option that would stop any Russian aggression in the future,” Fiala said.
Fiala said that the Russian threat had forced him to drop his long-standing opposition to big states assuming greater leadership — a role historically taken by Germany and France to drive EU economic integration.
“I was always in peacetime against the strong role of France and Germany . . . but in such a difficult time, it’s important that the strongest countries are active and accept their own leadership.”
Germany is now planning to invest up to €1tn in its military and infrastructure, a policy U-turn that was also prompted by the Trump administration. German chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has warned that Europe can no longer rely on the US to defend it unconditionally. Merz has engaged in talks with Paris to explore whether the French nuclear arsenal could offer any protection in case of a US withdrawal.
Fiala said that Berlin would be “extremely important” once Merz took office following coalition talks that were currently ongoing.
The Czech government has co-ordinated an international effort to buy ammunition for Ukraine, sending 520,000 shells of 155mm artillery last year.
Fiala said there was a “high chance” that Prague would manage to send a similar amount to Kyiv this year. But he warned that the initiative needed more funding and could be at risk if his ruling coalition was booted out in parliamentary elections set to be held by October.
Former premier Andrej Babiš, the leader of the Eurosceptic, populist ANO party, is leading in opinion polls and has signalled he would stop further military aid to Ukraine.
“Babiš is against this ammunition initiative, against spending on defence, he talks about peace without any conditions,” Fiala said. “He helps Vladimir Putin, it’s very clear.”
Babiš denies backing Russia’s president and says that he fully supports Trump in his peacemaking negotiations.
Last year Babiš co-founded the third-largest group in the European parliament, together with pro-Russian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Austrian far right leader Herbert Kickl.
Read the full article here
