US EditionCzech Republic 'Certainly Not' on Path to Higher Defence Spending Target, Says Babis
Prime Minister Andrej Babis prioritizes social welfare over NATO's 3.5% GDP defence spending target, cutting to 2.1% despite criticism and ongoing support for Ukraine.
- On Feb 26, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said `Certainly not` when asked if his government was on a path to the NATO 3.5% core spending target, as it pushes a re-worked 2026 budget through parliament.
- Babis campaigned last year to prioritise living standards, contrasting with the previous centre-right cabinet's plan to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030.
- The 2026 budget proposal cuts core defence spending to 2.1% of GDP versus the previous cabinet's 2.35% plan, yet the government continued a Czech-led ammunition initiative for Ukraine financed by donors including Germany.
- Political critics have responded to the budget reductions with criticism over lower defence spending, and former prime minister Petr Fiala said security should be a leading concern for the government.
- Looking beyond defence, Babis emphasized domestic priorities, stating `priority is the health of our citizens, so that they live long lives`.
13 Articles
13 Articles
The Czech Republic is certainly not embarking on a path towards defense spending of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) told Deník.cz on Thursday. He also said that the issue of Ukraine, which is resisting a Russian invasion, is not a priority for the government.
The new Czech government is distancing itself from the defense spending increases agreed upon by NATO countries. The Czech Republic is actually cutting back on defense and is "certainly not" on track to meet NATO standards, says Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The Czech Prime Minister rejected ambitious NATO goals and said that the priorities would be wages, taxes and social benefits.
Czech Republic Is Not Aiming To Spend 3.5% on Defence, Says Babis
The Czech Republic is definitively not embarking on a path towards raising defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), said Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) today in an interview with the online daily Denik.cz. Last year, NATO member states agreed to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, with an additional 1.5% of GDP to be spent on related non-military investments. Babis said today that the Czech Republic was not on t…
US President Donald Trump is not pleased that the Czech Republic does not intend to fulfill its alliance commitments. For a long life, it is necessary to take care of security, said former Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) in response to statements by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) regarding planned defense spending.
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