US Ambassador to NATO Criticizes Czech Defense Spending as Insufficient

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker publicly criticized Czech defense spending as inadequate. Czech defense outlays stand at roughly 2.1% of GDP despite a NATO agreement to reach 3.5% by 2035. Babiš responded that current spending represents 'the maximum possible' and cited a 400% increase since 2014, but the gap between Prague and Washington widens as the Iran war strains alliance cohesion.