Speaking after the NATO summit in Ankara, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis announced that Czechia will not contribute to the €70 billion package pledged by allies for military equipment, aid and training for Ukraine.
"We will not contribute to this amount," Babis said, stressing that Europe should focus especially on defense against ballistic missiles, adding that the real problem is these missiles.
Noting that Czechia will increase its defense spending to 2% of GDP next year, not this year, Babis stated, "We will do our best this year as well, I am not denying that, but I don't think it is realistic."
Babis noted that because Czechia allocates the smallest share of GDP to defense in NATO, he was the last to speak at the meeting.
The 36th NATO Summit Final Declaration stated that allies had committed €70 billion for military equipment, aid and training support to Ukraine for 2026, and confirmed as a sovereign commitment to maintain at least the same level of support in 2027.