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PM Andrej Babiš and President Petr Pavel travelled this evening to the informal leaders' dinner at the NATO summit in separate motorcades, despite departing from the same hotel. The arrangement reflected the broader pattern of the day in Ankara, where the Czech prime minister's and president's delegations largely operated independently. The situation stems from a months-long dispute between the government and the head of state over who should represent the Czech Republic at the Alliance's key summit.

The unusual Czech representation at the NATO summit also drew international attention. U.S. broadcaster CNN noted the arrival of two separate Czech government aircraft carrying the president and the prime minister, attributing it to what it described as an "obscure domestic political dispute." According to the government, the use of two aircraft was justified by security considerations, while the Presidential Office argued that the trip could have been made using a single plane.

More than 1,000 adult secondary school students across the Czech Republic are taking part in this year's second edition of the army's voluntary military training programme. Forty-nine of them reported for duty this morning at the Castle Guard barracks at Prague Castle, where they received their military uniforms and moved into their accommodation.

Over the next four weeks of the summer holidays, participants will undergo basic practical and theoretical military training at several military bases. Upon successful completion of the programme, the students will gain the status of reserve soldiers.

The voluntary military training programme is open to students in the second to fourth years of secondary school who are between 18 and 22 years old. Its aim is to introduce young people to the functioning of the armed forces and provide them with basic military training.

More investment in defence is needed, and people are beginning to realize that it is also an investment in their own future, President Petr Pavel said during his speech at a Munich Security Conference event held alongside the NATO summit. The Czech president later attended the Defence Industry Forum and is scheduled to take part in an informal dinner hosted this evening by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"The Czech Republic has the advantage of being surrounded by allies, as it is located in the heart of the European Union and among NATO member states. However, this can create a false sense of security," Pavel said.

According to Pavel, NATO was founded on the noble principle of "one for all and all for one." If Europe becomes a truly self-reliant partner for the United States, it can expect that this principle will continue to work. "If we are not self-reliant, it is difficult to expect the United States to do our job for us," Pavel said.

Retail sales grew faster in May than analysts had expected. According to data released today by the Czech Statistical Office, year-on-year growth accelerated to 4.7%, while the market had anticipated an increase of around 3%. Analysts say the figures suggest that Czech consumers were not overly concerned about the continuing impact of the war in the Middle East and instead remained confident, leading to increased spending, particularly on online purchases.

"It appears that Czech consumers recovered from the shock of the war in Iran very quickly. While they significantly cut back their spending in April, in May they confidently returned to their previous growth trajectory," said Vít Hradil, an analyst at Investika. According to Hradil, even fuel sales almost returned to their pre-war levels despite noticeably higher prices.