Peter Paul: We could spend 3 % GDP on defence. End of September will be a good date for elections

President Petr Pavel in a special broadcast of the programme Twenty minutes of the radio station, of which full transcript and a video published by Czech Radio over the weekend, commented on what awaits us in the near and more distant future: among other things, the ascension of the US President and the date of the parliamentary elections.

Can you tell me what the date will be?

I guess I can. It will be a date in the second half of September, because October is already the tightest of deadlines and it's not really suitable too close to the holidays. So I think the end of September would be a good date.

So September 26-27 is out of the question?

Yes, it is a possibility.

https://twitter.com/Radiozurnal1/status/1878420835674833379

How do you feel about Trump's recent statements regarding Greenland and Canada, for example. Do you think Donald Trump is serious?

My first and quick reaction would probably be "let's keep calm", because Donald Trump, even before his first term, was firing such test shots and then expecting reactions and adjusting the specific wording of his official policies based on those reactions.

Let's wait until he's inaugurated. Let's wait to see what his administration looks like and how the specific policies of this new administration will be formulated. Only then can we have a serious discussion about how to react to any statements that may be made.

We have clear principles set out in the UN Charter, we have international treaties, and we must abide by them. And one of those basic principles is sovereignty - the inviolability of internationally recognised borders. I think those are the things that we have to build on.

But Donald Trump also wants NATO member countries to sharply increase their defence spending, giving five per cent of their gross domestic product.

First of all, we have to say that defence spending is not governed by the wishes of any of the leaders of the Alliance, be it the President of the Czech Republic or the President of the United States. Defence spending is driven by need, which is based on security threat assessments.

We are constantly mired in debates that are only about percentages. I think that is totally misleading, it tells nobody anything.

It is expected that at the forthcoming NATO summit there will be an agreement on the increase, but it should certainly not be on the basis of anyone shooting a number, but on the basis of justified needs.

For the Czech Republic, this may mean that we will be somewhere around three percent. I think that the government is quite realistic in assuming that in the horizon until 2030, defence spending could actually increase towards this amount.

Will the situation after the elections to the Chamber of Deputies determine whether you will continue to run or not?

It will also be part of that decision-making, because not only the support of the citizens, but also the internal and external situation and, of course, the personal situation are important factors to take into account.

Radio Journal/ gnews - RoZ