“All the justifications we have heard so far from government politicians have been directly criticized by the American ambassador. This is unprecedented,” said security expert Oldřich Bureš from Charles University and the Metropolitan University of Prague.
Merrick recalled that the Czech Republic, like other NATO member countries, pledged last year that within ten years it would give 3.5 percent of GDP directly to defense and another 1.5 percent to defense-related investments.
However, in a recent interview with Deník, Prime Minister Babiš replied: “We are definitely not starting a path towards spending of 3.5 percent.”
“I assume that the prime minister will try to defend this year’s budget, but the situation will catch up with him at the latest when drawing up the budget for 2027,” political scientist Michal Malý from Charles University told Fairpress.
Malý recalled that when Trump congratulated Babiš on his appointment as prime minister via social networks, he reminded him of the purchase of fighter jets, which was decided by the previous government. “Andrej knows how to make deals, and I expect fantastic things from him, including the F-35,” he said in mid-December last year.
Ambassador Merrick also clearly communicated that the commitment made by the previous government also applies to the current cabinet. At the same time, he rejected the arguments of a difficult financial situation. “All allies face their own political pressures and fiscal constraints, but they still make difficult decisions, both in Europe and on the other side of the Atlantic,” the ambassador emphasized.
“A state that is supposed to be trustworthy cannot work with the fact that the incoming government will not respect the commitments of the previous government,” František Mičánek, general in the reserve and director of the Center for Security Studies at CEVRO University, told Novinkám.
In his speech, Merrick said that the path to 3.5 percent must be started already in this year’s budget. “It doesn’t look like the changes should take place in this year’s budget. The turning point will be 2027,” Mičánek added. If, at least next year, the Czech Republic returns to a sharp increase in defense spending, according to the reserve general, the allies can still trust us to keep our word.
The ride will not be free
President Trump showed that the Americans do not hesitate to punish using the example of Spain. He blamed it not only for not providing bases for American attacks on Iran, but also for being opposed to increasing defense spending. “We will stop all business with them, we want nothing to do with them,” Trump summed up on Tuesday.
According to Mičánek, the Czech Republic could also face retaliation. It could be all the more painful because we abandoned Russian sources in favor of Western ones. “The Americans can raise the prices of oil and gas, they can limit us in the use of modern technologies, for example, we will not receive the latest artificial intelligence chips. In short, they will treat us like a second-class country,” he described.
Criticism could also come from European allies who will fulfill their obligations. “There is already tension in the Union that leads to a multi-speed Europe, and this will also be transferred to the North Atlantic Alliance,” Mičánek said.
“States that will fulfill obligations and increase spending will be treated by the US as reliable allies and will provide them with what they need. And then there will be states that will be happy, but this prison will definitely not be free,” concluded the general in reserve.
