Billionaire Andrej Babiš is predicted to be the latest populist leader in Central Europe to stage an electoral comeback. Opinion polls favor Babis to beat a pro-Western coalition led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala that defeated him in the 2021 vote. The Czech Republic has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Babiš has questioned such support and also refused to fully endorse a NATO commitment to significantly increase defense spending. He has ruled out cooperation with any of the parties that have been in the government after the 2021 election.