Final Word from Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Pres. Petr Pavel, who is the face of the Czech ammunition program for Ukraine, scored a major PR coup by using a Financial Times interview to blame his political rivals for a sharp drop in the number of countries participating in the initiative. The decision of the Babiš government not to put more money into the program was indeed significant, but there are other factors, not least that the main focus of European donors is shifting to drones. The reputation and share price of one of the main players in the program, Czechoslovak Group, has also taken a beating due to a short-seller report that included unfavorable comments about the ammunition initiative. An admission by Cabinet Envoy Jakub Landovský that the CR is issuing fake end-user certificates for the military materiel can't be overlooked either, although mainly the non-mainstream media have picked up on it. If Germany is nevertheless putting another €300m into the program, it's more confirmation that in the fog of war, anything is possible. [ Boris Pistorius Nato commitments Jan Schneider Petr Drulák Aby bylo jasno alternative ]