PM Petr Fiala: “If we want long-term peace, we must arm ourselves”
Prime Minister Petr Fiala has urged a boost in military aid to Ukraine in light of the European leaders' summit in London. He stated that this is the only way to prevent an aggressive Russia from advancing just a few hundred kilometers from Czechia. Fiala added that lasting peace in Europe can only be achieved through a well-armed continent, which will require increasing defense spending to at least 3% of GDP.
In the context of Friday's heated meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that Europe is facing a great historical test:
“For me, it’s absolutely unacceptable that we would have an international order that rewards aggressive politics — politics driven by power, which disregards human cost, the sovereignty of nations, established borders, and acknowledged rules and agreements.”
"If we do not want an aggressive Russia to continue to expand just a few hundred kilometers from our homes, we must increase our military support for Ukraine. And if we want a sustainable, long-term peace, we must arm ourselves well. This will not be possible without an increase in defense spending to at least three percent of GDP," Fiala wrote on X.
The prime minister has been talking about increasing defense spending repeatedly in recent weeks. On Thursday, he agreed with President Petr Pavel on the need to increase defense spending. Earlier, he described increasing defense spending by 0.2 percent of GDP per year as realistic, but reaching three per cent of GDP is a matter of a few years, he said.
According to Fiala, Europe must take care of its own security and future. "No one else will do it for us," he said.
Fiala attended the summit in London on Sunday afternoon, where more than ten European leaders have been summoned by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. European statesmen are seeking a stable ceasefire in the war in Ukraine to deter further aggression by Russia. The security of Ukraine and Europe will also be the focus of Thursday's emergency EU summit.
After the European summit, the prime minister addressed some takeaways from the meeting in London:
“It was important that both Norway and Canada attended. We agreed that we should increase our support for Ukraine, strengthen our army, and take greater care of our security.”
NATO leaders committed to defense spending of at least two per cent of GDP at a summit in Wales in September 2014. Last year, 23 out of 32 NATO member states spent two per cent or more of GDP on defense, according to official NATO estimates.
