22.02.2025
By Andrej Babiš
(Former Czech Prime Minister critiques the current ruling party’s policies and condemns its engagement with Taiwan for harming Czechia’s relations with China.)
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala loves to boast about how he has restored Czechia’s international standing. However, domestically, his government has only brought record inflation, declining living standards, and increased taxes—though at least we were supposed to have gained some international respect. But now, this illusion has burst like a bubble, proving it was never real in the first place.
When French President Emmanuel Macron invited European leaders to Paris to discuss the Ukraine crisis, Fiala was not invited. His government claims to be one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters, providing ammunition and aiding refugees. However, when Fiala was excluded, he tried to downplay it as “just another insignificant informal meeting.” In reality, this was nothing but self-humiliation—especially since the Czech Foreign Ministry had actively lobbied to get Fiala into the meeting, only to be ignored. On his second attempt, he was allowed to participate via video conference, but by then, he was no longer dismissing the meeting as “insignificant.”
The Cost of Submission
This incident once again proves what I have been saying for four years: Fiala and his government do not understand diplomacy and are not taken seriously on the international stage. If your foreign policy is based on submission rather than advancing Czech interests, you will end up ignored and ridiculed. When you bow to everyone, you will eventually be treated with complete disregard.
And this is not the first time. Fiala gave in to Poland over the Turów mine dispute, and in return, he got a photo op in Kyiv. He paid an exorbitant price for F-35 fighter jets, yet when he visited the White House, he had to enter through the back door—and what did he get in return? The U.S. put Czechia on its list of restricted countries for advanced AI semiconductor exports.
Speaking of semiconductors, let’s not forget Pekarová Adamová and Vystrčil’s visits to Taiwan. And what was the outcome? They destroyed Czechia’s business relations with China, and in the end, Taiwan chose to build its new chip factory in Dresden, Germany, not Czechia.
But perhaps the worst failure of all is Fiala’s performance in Brussels. During Czechia’s EU presidency, his government pushed for a ban on combustion-engine cars, introduced carbon emissions trading for households and personal transport, and approved additional green taxes.
And what did he get in return? Praise from EU climate fanatics like Frans Timmermans and Ursula von der Leyen. And the “reward” for Czechia? Síkela was given the meaningless role of EU Commissioner for African Affairs—a position that matches his abilities but is an insult to Czechia.
A Government of Academia, Not Diplomacy
Clearly, Fiala and his government are not strong in diplomacy—in fact, they are not even weak players. They are simply irrelevant—excluded from key decisions and treated as extras on the world stage. When a country’s foreign policy is dictated by leaders whose credentials don’t even match those of their subordinates, who will take Czechia seriously?
If we want to succeed in international politics, we need a prime minister who will not bow to Brussels but will instead stand firmly for Czech interests. We need a government that acts decisively, not one that blindly submits. Fiala and his team are incapable of this. Their only strategy is submission—and the result is neither respect nor prestige, only silence and quiet ridicule.
