BRUSSELS

The Czech Republic’s newly appointed prime minister and leader of the ANO party, Andrej Babis, said on Sunday that the country will not guarantee loans or provide direct financing to Ukraine, calling on the European Commission to find alternative solutions at the EU level.

In a video posted on US social media company X, Babis said he agreed with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever that Ukraine's financing should be addressed collectively by the European Union, not through national guarantees.

"The Czech Republic will not guarantee loans and will not send money," he said, Radio Prague International reported.

Outgoing Prime Minister Petr Fiala criticized Babis’s remarks, describing them as "irresponsible."

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that using proceeds from frozen Russian assets remains "the only realistic option" for securing continued financial support for Ukraine.

Amid EU plans to use frozen Russian state assets to fund a loan to Ukraine, several member states, including Belgium, have raised legal concerns, noting that most assets are held at Euroclear in Brussels.

Russia's central bank called the plan illegal and reserved the right to take any measures necessary to protect its interests.

On Friday, the bloc moved to "indefinitely immobilize" Russian assets, while EU leaders are set to decide on allocating the funds to Ukraine at a Brussels summit on Dec. 18-19.