The Czech Republic "must remain committed to increasing defense spending," Matthew Whitaker, the US envoy to NATO, demanded in Prague last week. "We expect our allies to step up," he said. As warnings about the threat emanating from Russia increase, and Washington demands European allies take greater responsibility for security, NATO has raised its target for defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, and pressure on those lagging is rising.
Czechia, alongside Slovenia and Albania, has yet to meet the old target. But Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose government cut the defense budget for 2026 to around 1.7% of GDP when it took office late last year, pushed back against the latest barb from Washington. While reiterating that NATO membership is crucial for Czechia, the premier bluntly stated that the government cannot afford to accelerate spending.
He has pledged to hit the 2% target in 2027 but plans no further increases. That leaves the populist billionaire hoping that a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump will protect the country amid the burgeoning row. Whether Trump will protect Czechia from the threat of Russian hybrid warfare targeting Central European NATO allies is another question.
A growing wave of stray drones and Russian intelligence operations — suspected bombings, sabotage and cyber warfare — have spread alarm in the neighborhood. Germany and Poland — key Czech partners — have reported high-profile incidents and linked them to attempts to intimidate Ukrainian allies. Czechia should understand the threat better than most, having been among the first to experience such an attack.
Czechia's Security Information Service (BIS) reported in 2021 that the bombing of a depot storing weapons linked to Ukraine seven years previously had been carried out by Russia's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB). Babis, then in his first stint as PM, responded by expelling around 100 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, freezing relations with Moscow. The BIS remains in step with other intelligence agencies across the region in warning that the threat from Russia is growing.
However, like its predecessors, the Babis government has failed to keep pace in terms of the national defense budget, even as neighbors have leapt into action. Prague spent just 1.86% of GDP on defense last year; Poland and the Baltic States have already met the new NATO target and will hit 5% next year. Babis has made it clear this approach will not change.
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