Czechia to reduce humanitarian aid to other countries, including Ukraine

Czechia is planning to cut spending on humanitarian aid to other countries by more than two-thirds.

As reported by ČT24, a 24-hour news channel in Czechia, Czechia's previous government led by Petr Fiala allocated around CZK 165 million (€6.8 million) to humanitarian projects abroad. The current cabinet under Andrej Babiš is proposing to reduce this funding to CZK 50 million (€2 million).

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said the cuts are necessary to save budgetary funds.

Czechia used this funding to support humanitarian initiatives worldwide, such as operating helicopters to fight fires in Spain and providing aid to the Gaza Strip.

Some of this aid was also directed to Ukraine, where the Czech government used the funds to purchase generators for the critical needs of Ukrainian cities.

The opposition has criticised the cut in humanitarian spending. Jan Lipavský, former Czech foreign minister, described it as "revenge on humanity" and said that in the event of humanitarian disasters, a foreign minister should be able to approve emergency aid swiftly rather than wait for the entire government to approve the funds.

Lipavský noted that some of the funds were also used for projects in Ukraine, particularly to rebuild schools and housing for internally displaced people. It is not yet known whether these initiatives will continue.

Czechia is reportedly preparing to send 55 generators to Ukraine as urgent humanitarian aid in response to the difficult situation in the energy sector caused by Russian attacks and a harsh winter.

Meanwhile, a Czech public fundraising campaign has gathered US$3.8 million to provide energy assistance to Ukraine, complementing other grassroots initiatives and support from local authorities.