US ambassador: Czechia risks falling among NATO states with lowest defence spending

The Czech Republic risks ranking among the NATO countries with the lowest defence spending relative to gross domestic product, US Ambassador to Prague Nicholas Merrick said on Thursday.

Speaking at the conference Our Security Is Not a Given, Merrick warned that under the current draft state budget the country could also fail to meet its NATO commitments on developing military capabilities. He added that he did not need to remind anyone how important it is for allies to fulfil those commitments.

Reacting to Merrick’s remarks, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš told Czech Television on Thursday that the defence spending proposed in this year’s draft budget is the maximum possible under current conditions. He added that the state must also address healthcare, social issues and the everyday lives of citizens.

NATO members agreed last year to raise defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, with a further 1.5 percent for related investments. The previous government of Petr Fiala had planned to gradually increase Czech defence spending to three percent of GDP by 2030.