President Pavel: cutting defence spending now would be irresponsible

President Petr Pavel has described any reduction in defence spending as irresponsible under current security conditions. Speaking at a press conference in Prague, he warned that if the defence budget remains at its newly proposed level of 154.79 billion crowns, Czechia would be among the few countries moving in the opposite direction to its allies. The previous government had planned 175.79 billion crowns for the Defence Ministry. Pavel said maintaining robust spending is vital for credibility with partners and with Ukraine. NATO members agreed last year to raise defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, with additional related investments.