Czech PM: Europe must react to the changing world order

The international order is undergoing its biggest change since the fall of communism, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in an address to the nation on the 3rd anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said that the position of the US leadership, which had long been the main guarantor of peace and the existing world order, had changed. “This does not mean that the United States is no longer our ally, but it has made it perfectly clear that the time has come for European states to be able to take care of their own problems," the Czech prime minister noted.

The Czech head of government said that the ongoing changes should be taken as an opportunity and Europe must react to them quickly or be prepared to pay a high price. He said the European Union must change its fiscal rules, allowing for huge investments in defense and security and remove existing hurdles to business and trade, because only a strong Europe - ecomomically and security-wise could stand strong in the face of the threat posed by Russia. According to the prime minister, defense spending will need to be substantially increased to at least three per cent of GDP over the next few years and the money must be spent wisely and efficiently.  For further military aid to Ukraine, states should use funds from frozen Russian assets, Mr. Fiala said.