The Czech Republic said on Wednesday that it is open to spending more on defence, as demanded by US President-elect Donald Trump. "We are open to this debate," Prime Minister Petr Fiala said, emphasizing that money invested in defence was money well spent.

“For the first time in 20 years, the Czech Republic will fulfil its allied commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence,” Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS, ECR) wrote on X. Černochová also highlighted the new legal safeguards for defence financing.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Jan. 7 that NATO should raise its defense spending benchmark from 2% of GDP to 5%, echoing his earlier calls for Europe to spend more on its security.

Even before being sworn in, Donald Trump has harshly criticized European NATO countries. He has also altered his stance on ending the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting he could achieve it within half a year,

Even before being sworn in, Donald Trump harshly criticised European NATO countries. He also changed his stance on ending the conflict in Ukraine, suggesting he could achieve it within half a year, not in 24 hours as he previously claimed.

European NATO members would struggle to increase defense spending to 5% considering the high social welfare bill in the continent. But analysts say Trump's demand could be a negotiating tactic to reach a compromise.

US President-elect Donald Trump said that NATO countries should be spending 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, up from the current 2% target. "They can all afford it, but they should be at 5% not 2%,