Czech president and PM clash at NATO summit, allies warn of reputational damage over low defence spending

A divided delegation

Czechia arrived at the NATO summit in Ankara with its two top officials barely on speaking terms. President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš flew in on separate planes, attended the defence industry forum at different times, and travelled to the informal dinner in their own motorcades from the same hotel. At the dinner, hosted by Turkish President Recep Erdoğan, they sat at different tables and exchanged only a brief handshake. Pavel later described the lack of coordination as a shortcoming and expressed hope that foreign policy would be better aligned in the future.

I didn't feel that the dispute escalated here in Ankara. I tried to be accommodating and restrained. We greeted each other with the prime minister and the ministers. The fact that we didn't coordinate, I consider a shortcoming.

Allied concerns over defence spending

Behind closed doors, allies voiced unease about Czechia's commitment. Pavel revealed that private expressions of concern about the Czech approach were heard more than once, though some held out hope that the new government could be persuaded to act as a solid ally. The prime minister had already stated before the summit that Czechia would miss the 2% GDP defence spending target this year, blaming a budget deficit inherited from the previous cabinet. Czechia remains among the three lowest spenders in NATO, alongside Albania and Slovenia.

If we were again at the tail end at the next summit, it would mean a lot of negative for the Czech Republic's reputation. Our European allies would start to perceive us as unreliable, as someone who benefits from their security contributions.

The photo that became an anecdote

A group photograph of the 32 leaders captured the rift: Pavel and Babiš stood as far apart as possible. Former prime minister Petr Nečas said the image turned Czechia into an anecdotal story, recalling the earlier feud between Polish president Lech Kaczyński and prime minister Donald Tusk. Nečas argued the dispute had no winners, only political losers, and urged both sides to seek agreement rather than confrontation.

I think we will be told as an anecdotal story for a long time — a country that even in the group photo has its two executive representatives at the maximum possible distance from each other.

Two dinners, two realities

Pavel and Babiš described the same informal dinner in starkly different terms. Pavel recounted discussions on European defence, the Balkans, and the Baltic states, and fielded direct questions about Czech defence spending. Babiš, seated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other leaders, spoke about football, name tags for Zelensky, and why US First Lady Melania Trump did not attend. The contrasting narratives underscored the gulf between the two men.

Summit sidelines

Beyond the Czech drama, the summit produced several notable moments. US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over, calling Iranians liars and dismissing further talks as a waste of time. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed that the summit was about implementing plans set a year earlier and noted significant increases in defence spending by European allies and Canada. Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar each held brief talks with Zelensky, while Babiš managed a short, smiling handshake with Trump.