Czech FM’s Trump Board of Peace trip draws opposition ire

The Czech Republic is facing criticism from opposition MPs over its decision to send Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) to the first meeting of former US President Donald Trump’s Peace Council in Washington, D.C., in the role of observer.

Jan Lipavský, a former foreign minister representing the ODS party, said the move made the country appear like “a poor relative who does not want to pay for a ticket but is happy to watch the film,” Caliber.Az reports via Czech media.

TOP 09 deputy chairman Marek Ženíšek echoed concerns, arguing that Macinka should not speak at the meeting at all, to avoid “further embarrassment” for the Czech Republic.

Macinka is due to travel to Washington on February 18 following an agreement with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO). Babiš told ČTK on February 17 that the Czech Republic will participate as an observer, similar to Italy.

The invitation for membership was extended to the Czech Republic at the end of January, but Babiš has previously stated that the country is not currently considering joining. Any decision on full membership would require approval from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Full membership in the Peace Council carries a fee of one billion dollars (over 20 billion Czech koruna).

The European Commission will also attend the meeting on February 19 as an observer, focusing on talks regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with Commissioner Dubravka Šuica set to travel to Washington. Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus – the latter in its role as EU Council president – will also be represented as observers.

Ženíšek told ČTK: “This is a pointless trip by the most embarrassing foreign minister in Czech history. I hope, for the sake of the Czech Republic, that he does not speak at all, to avoid further embarrassment. He should clarify the purpose of his presence: are we participating in the council or not?”

TOP 09’s leadership has passed a resolution stating that Macinka’s representation damages the Czech Republic’s reputation and undermines allies’ trust. Ženíšek plans to address the matter in an interpellation to the Prime Minister. At the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Macinka shared a panel with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Lipavský urged caution in assessing Macinka’s attendance due to limited information but criticised the government for “wanting to join the council without paying the fee,” warning that such an approach undermines Czech foreign policy.

Barbora Urbanová, a member of the foreign affairs committee from STAN, described the Peace Council as “essentially Donald Trump’s personal project.” She noted that while the United Nations acknowledged the council in a November 2025 resolution as a platform for ceasefire negotiations and reconstruction in Gaza, the initiative is centrally controlled by Trump, who decides membership and will charge a billion dollars for full membership.

Urbanová added: “Perhaps the minister feels privileged that the country received an invitation and, despite not having the funds for full membership, can still attend as an observer. The Czech Republic is a long-standing, prosperous and safe country thanks to international law, and I would expect our foreign minister to prioritise building Czech influence within the EU or NATO rather than lending weight to such platforms.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev