PM Babiš says Czechia will respect NATO’s Article 5

Czechia will respect Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on collective defence, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said after Monday’s cabinet meeting. He declined to comment on remarks by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who said last week that he did not want Slovakia to “become part of some military conflict because of some Article 5.”

According to Babiš, Czechia currently faces no immediate danger. The head of the Czech Security Information Service, Michal Koudelka, told The Guardian that a possible Russian attack, including a limited invasion of the territory of a NATO member, could come not in years but within months.

Babiš said he had received no such information from Koudelka through official channels.

Speaking in New York, President Pavel said he does not believe there is currently a risk of a direct Russian military attack on a NATO member. Moscow could, however, carry out a large-scale hybrid attack, he said. Pavel described questioning NATO’s Article 5 as dangerous given the current security situation.