Czech Leaders Pledge NATO Spending Hike at Ankara Summit

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and President Peter Pavel traveled to Ankara on Tuesday to attend a NATO summit. Babiš pledged to Secretary General Mark Rutte that the Czech Republic will meet the alliance's 2 percent GDP defense spending target next year by increasing the budget by 36 billion Czech crowns. He further announced a long-term goal to reach 5 percent of GDP by 2035. Babiš attributed the country's previous failure to meet the benchmark to the poor state of public finances under the former Fiala government.

While the Czech delegation will not block a proposal to provide Ukraine with 70 billion euros annually over two years, Babiš stated the country will not provide additional funds beyond its primary target. President Pavel, a former NATO commander, emphasized that a sovereign and strong Ukraine is the best guarantee of European security and urged allies to improve their defense capabilities.

Concurrent with the summit, NATO released data showing five nations are projected to meet the alliance's 3.5 percent core defense spending goal by 2026, nearly a decade before the 2035 target. Lithuania leads the alliance at 5.33 percent, followed by Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Greece. These updates follow a pledge from a previous summit in The Hague and ongoing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for members to increase financial contributions.