US slams Czech Republic over low defense spending

Washington has harshly criticized the Czech Republic for not spending enough on defense after Czech lawmakers passed a budget for 2026 that allocates only 1.7 percent of GDP to military expenditures.

“All allies must bear their share of responsibility and uphold The Hague commitment on defense,” the U.S. embassy in Prague posted on X Thursday. “These numbers are not arbitrary. It is about responding to the current situation — and that situation requires 5 percent to be the standard. No excuses, no exceptions.”

NATO allies agreed a new defense spending target at last year’s alliance summit in The Hague. The new goal was set at 3.5 percent of GDP for purely military expenditures and 1.5 percent for related outlays such as on cybersecurity. The 1.7 percent figure for 2026 places Prague among NATO’s lowest defense spenders.

Nationalist-populist Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš may have built a reputation as the “Czech Donald Trump,” but that isn’t shielding him from Washington’s wrath. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker added a stern message on X, reminding Prague that “all Allies must pull their weight.”

Czech President Petr Pavel, a retired army general and former top NATO official, also criticized the overall cuts in the 2026 budget. But while he has been at odds with Babiš over defense policy, he has pledged not to veto the budget proposal.

Spain also refused last summer to endorse NATO’s new 5-percent-of-GDP defense spending goal, but on the other hand has pledged to meet the alliance’s so-called capability targets, which define the amount of military equipment each country needs to have.