Czechia signals readiness to send fighter jets to Ukraine for drone defense

“The Czech Republic can in relatively short time provide several medium combat planes, which are highly effective in fighting drones, and I believe we will manage to quickly and successfully conclude this issue,” Pavel said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He did not go into details, but several years ago, he said that Czech subsonic L-159 fighter jets could be transferred to Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion for nearly four years.

Petr Pavel also said at a press conference on Friday that Prague could supply early warning systems, such as passive radars.

Reuters notes that the Czech military has 24 L-159 aircraft in single- and two-seat configurations, which are used for training and ground support. Its main fighter jets are 14 Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripens, but the country has ordered 24 US-made F-35 fighters, with deliveries expected after 2030.

Under a previous government (before Prime Minister Andrej Babiš), Czechia supplied Ukraine with heavy equipment, including tanks and helicopters from army stockpiles, and received compensation from NATO allies as part of its rearmament with Western weapons.

What else Pavel said and the support from the Czech Republic

At the same press conference, Petr Pavel said that Ukraine would have to make painful concessions to end the war. He added that Kyiv is prepared to take such a step.

“I believe there are some painful concessions that Ukraine must make and is ready to make, provided this leads to peace. We must do everything possible to ensure that all the work done in preparing these documents is not wasted,” the Czech president said.

In addition, we previously reported that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš recently said the initiative to supply ammunition to Ukraine would continue, noting that this would be conditional on funding from other countries.