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Czechia has yet to meet NATO requirements on mandatory defence spending.
According to Interfax, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker made the remarks at the Prague Defence Summit.
“It is disappointing to see that Czechia has not made significant progress in meeting the defence commitments agreed at the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague. Unfortunately, the Czech Republic appears to be heading towards the back of the alliance when it comes to defence spending. It must remain committed to increasing defence spending,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said he had personally conveyed the message to the Czech leadership.
The US Permanent Representative said the United States remained committed to defending the territory of NATO countries, but stressed that its allies in the alliance must also step up their efforts.
NATO had previously set a new target for the period up to 2035, under which members would allocate 3.5% of GDP annually to defence, as well as 1.5% to defence-related infrastructure.
However, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government has reduced military spending for the current year to 1.7%-1.8% of GDP and intends to allocate 2% of GDP in the future. Babiš has stressed that funds are needed for infrastructure and healthcare, leaving limited resources for defence.