捷克总理巴比什重申北约重要性但拒绝增加国防开支

捷克总理安德烈·巴比什在美国北约特使施压下，重申了北约对捷克的重要性，但拒绝进一步增加国防支出 1。美国北约特使马修·惠特克要求捷克提高国防开支，称"我们期望盟国承担起责任" 1。

巴比什政府将2026年国防预算设定为国内生产总值的1.7%，低于北约旧目标的2% 1。巴比什承诺捷克将在2027年达到2%的北约目标，但表示不会进一步增加防御开支 1。这一立场反映了国内政治优先考虑养老金、教育和医疗等社会支出 1。

与此同时，北约已将国防支出目标从GDP的2%提高到3.5% 1，波兰和波罗的海国家已达到新的北约目标，并计划明年达到5% 1。巴比什在视频中穿着印有"No War"字样的T恤，呼吁寻求和平 1。

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has reaffirmed the importance of NATO to his country while resisting international pressure to significantly increase defense expenditure 1. The position comes as the United States NATO envoy Matthew Whitaker has urged the Czech government to raise its military spending, stating that "we expect our allies to step up to their responsibilities" 1.

The Czech government has set its 2026 defense budget at 1.7 percent of GDP, falling short of NATO's previous 2 percent benchmark 1. Babis has committed to reaching the 2 percent target by 2027 but has ruled out further increases beyond that level 1. This budgetary constraint reflects domestic political priorities, as the government faces a projected deficit of 38.6 billion Czech crowns—approximately 1.58 billion euros or 1.8 billion dollars—in 2027, the second-highest in Czech history, with resources needed for pensions, education, and healthcare 1.

The Czech approach contrasts sharply with efforts by neighboring countries, as Poland and the Baltic states have already met NATO's new spending goal of 3.5 percent of GDP and plan to reach 5 percent next year 1. NATO raised its defense spending target from 2 percent to 3.5 percent amid growing security concerns 1. Babis has emphasized the pursuit of peace, appearing in a video wearing a shirt bearing the words "No War" 1.