NATO boss Rutte meeting Babiš in Prague Thursday

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is due to visit Prague on Thursday for talks with the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš. The two are expected to discuss Czechia’s defence spending commitments and its army, the Czech News Agency said.

President Petr Pavel, a former chair of the NATO military committee, said the visit was a “logical” step as the alliance often consulted with states where some problem might arise ahead of summits. NATO is holding a summit in Ankara in July.

Mr. Pavel has been critical of the fact that the Czech government’s budget for 2026 will not meet a NATO commitment to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defence. The US ambassador to Prague also called on Czechia to invest more in this area.

Mr. Rutte and Mr. Babiš are due to hold a joint news conference in the early evening.