U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects “incredible things” from Czechia’s Andrej Babiš, including on an American fighter jet deal that the new prime minister had vowed to reconsider.
“It is great to see Andrej Babiš appointed again as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. Together, we will once again achieve Great Success on Defense, Energy, and Illegal Immigration — Just as we have done during our First Terms in Office,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Andrej knows how to get Deals done, and I expected incredible things from him, including on F-35s. Congratulations Andrej!” he added. Babiš on Wednesday told journalists he was “glad” the president congratulated him in this way.
Czechia’s previous government, led by Petr Fiala, approved the purchase of 24 American F-35 fighter jets in 2023. Babiš and his right-wing populist party ANO campaigned on criticism of the deal, calling the jets “useless and overpriced.” In its election manifesto, ANO called for “reasonable investments in defense,” and said the party would “reconsider costly acquisitions,” including U.S.-made F-35 aircraft.
Before the decisive October victory, it was unclear whether Babiš — a fellow billionaire who adopted both U.S. president’s rhetoric and red Trump-style “Strong Czechia” baseball cap — would risk angering the U.S. president by abandoning the deal. And indeed, post-election statements indicate a more pragmatic approach.
“The purchase of American F-35 aircraft is a done deal, but everything must be done to ensure maximum involvement of Czech industry,” said ANO deputy chairman Karel Havlíček in November.
Other countries including Spain, Switzerland, and Canada have had their own doubts about purchasing American F-35 due to the Trump administration’s behavior toward Europe, including questioning NATO’s collective defense pledge.
