Stubb has urged Europe to rearm and build greater strategic autonomy while remaining firmly anchored in NATO. Babiš’s government, meanwhile, has faced criticism after setting the defense ministry’s 2026 allocation at around 1.73% of GDP, below NATO’s 2% benchmark. Later Tuesday, Stubb was due to appear alongside Czech President Petr Pavel at the “Europe as a Task” conference. Pavel, a former senior NATO general, has warned that defense cuts could damage Czech credibility with allies. The visit comes as Prague braces for protests over plans to overhaul and reduce funding for public media, a dispute that follows months of tension between Babiš and Pavel over Czechia’s Western orientation, covered in TVP World’s recent analysis of their uneasy cohabitation.
