PRAGUE >> Four years ago, it seemed that the days in politics of billionaire Andrej Babiš were numbered.

The ANO movement Babiš created (an abbreviation of Action of Dissatisfied Citizens that means “Yes” in Czech) to counter mainstream political parties was defeated in October 2021 by a coalition of pro-Western groups. The populist leader was expected to make good on his promise to quit, rather than end up in opposition.

Instead, he immediately launched an aggressive campaign blaming the ruling coalition for every problem, from the energy crisis to soaring inflation. He promised to revoke a much-resented increase in the state pension age and to end help for Ukraine, while ridiculing Prime Minister Petr Fiala for being a better prime minister of Ukraine than of Czechia.

On Saturday, ANO claimed its greatest election victory since its foundation in 2011.

“It’s for me the culmination of my political career,” said Babiš, 71, who was a member of the Communist Party before the 1989 Velvet Revolution in the former Czechoslovakia and has drawn comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Babiš’s victory deprives Ukraine of a staunch supporter and steers Czechia toward the pro-Russian path taken by Hungary and Slovakia.

He is expected to join the ranks of Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, whose countries have refused to provide military aid to Ukraine, continue to import Russian oil and oppose sanctions on Russia.

Babiš said he was planning to abandon an internationally recognized Czech initiative that acquires artillery shells for Ukraine on markets outside the EU. He also opposes a NATO commitment to significantly increase defense spending and criticized a deal to purchase 24 U.S. F-35 fighter jets.

In Europe, Babiš already joined forces with his friend Orbán to create a new alliance in the European Parliament, the “ Patriots for Europe,” to represent hard-right groups critical of EU migration and climate policies, and favoring national sovereignty.

Tomáš Weiss, associate professor of international relations at Charles University in Prague, said he would expect Babiš to apply a pragmatic approach to the EU due to his business interests. Babiš might be a vocal EU critic at home but would not present big obstacles in Brussels, he said.

“Fico and Orbán might be celebrating but they’re not the players who matter at the European level,” Weiss said.

Babiš made his first impact on the Czech political scene in the 2013 election, finishing second and becoming finance minister.