Contradicting the comments of Miloš Zeman (President of Czech Republic), the Czech Prime Minister, Andrej Babiš, tweeted: “The Czech Republic has never produced, developed nor even stocked any substance belonging to the Novichok group”.

In a communiqué, he made the following specific points:
• What was factually accurate was that his country had carried out a micro-synthesis of a substance belonging to the Novitchok group in the context of a military programme aimed at ensuring the protection of civilians and soldiers;
• This process of synthesis would not be known to be considered as the production or development of this nerve agent; and
• The statements of the Head of State rested on a misunderstanding. He made the following declaration: “The Novitchok A-230 is different to the A-234, which was used to poison Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom”.