Czech defence minister reaffirms commitment to NATO's Eastern flank

The Czech Republic remains committed to contributing troops to the defence of NATO's Eastern flank, Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna said on Monday following talks with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, in Berlin.

Zůna's comments came in response to a report by Czech Radio’s website iRozhlas.cz, which said Prague does not intend to maintain its current level of military deployment on NATO's eastern border and plans to reduce by around one-fifth the maximum number of troops available for alliance missions over the next two years.

According to iRozhlas.cz, citing a non-public Defence Ministry document, the government plans to increase the number of troops available for NATO operations overall, while also strengthening the European Union Battlegroup. The proposed changes would nevertheless reduce the ceiling for Czech troop deployments on the alliance's Eastern flank.