Prime Minister Andrej Babiš held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš received NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the Straka Academy on Thursday 16 April 2026. The main topic of the meeting was the upcoming important NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July, as well as the current situation in the Middle East and its security implications.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Prague as part of his tour of NATO member states ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. Both politicians spoke primarily about the preparations for the summit, the latest developments in the conflict in the Middle East, and an important video conference on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Another topic was defence spending.
“Our government regards our defence capabilities and our commitments within NATO as extremely important and a top priority.” Today we held a joint meeting attended by the Minister of Defence and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Of course, we also discussed defence spending, which is important to us. Building a significantly larger army than the one we currently have is certainly one of our priorities,” said the Prime Minister. “We are doing everything we can to meet our commitments,” he added.
"Our armed forces have an excellent reputation within NATO, and our soldiers on missions are held in high esteem." We are proud of them and appreciate them greatly," noted Prime Minister Babiš. “The global situation is tense; tomorrow we have a video conference scheduled with French President Macron, British Prime Minister Starmer and representatives from other countries regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. I am pleased that our colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, Minister Macinka and Minister Zůna, have put forward a proposal—an offer—on how to help ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz. I won’t go into the details, but this is an area where our industry excels, and I think it will please both our friends and US President Trump,” said the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Babiš also highlighted the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on the European economy, particularly on the availability and prices of fuel. “Europe should reassess the situation very quickly and address its self-sufficiency,” stated Prime Minister Babiš.
