Today at 17:19
Czech Defense Minister Jaromír Zuna is insisting that defense spending increase to 2% of GDP after being reduced this year to 1.8%.
According to UATV English, citing Ceske Noviny, the Defense Ministry argues that defense expenditures must increase by 35 billion crowns (approximately $1.6 billion) compared to 2026, reaching 190 billion crowns (around $9 billion).
Meanwhile, the Czech coalition government, which came to power following last year’s parliamentary elections, argues that the existing military capabilities of the national army are more important than GDP percentage targets. It also warns that a sharp increase in defense spending would place significant pressure on the state budget, which is already facing a high deficit.
In 2026, Czech defense spending will amount to 154.79 billion crowns (approximately $7.3 billion), equivalent to 1.78% of GDP. The current figure is more than 16 billion crowns (around $763 million) lower than last year’s level.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš recently acknowledged that the country will not meet NATO’s defense spending targets, but pointed to what he described as an advantage — his friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
As previously reported, Czech President Petr Pavel and the government have been at odds over defense spending policy. Pavel has repeatedly criticized the planned level of Czech defense expenditures, warning that the country could end up among NATO’s “laggards.”
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has also criticized the Czech Republic’s defense spending plans, noting that they fall short even of the Alliance’s previous 2% of GDP target.
