The Czech Republic will not participate in a €70 billion ($80 billion) package of military assistance for Ukraine that NATO states agreed to on Wednesday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.
NATO members meeting in Ankara pledged that amount for Ukraine for 2026 and "at least equivalent levels" of support in 2027, according to the summit's declaration.
"We appreciate that every country will decide on this itself," Babis said. "We will not participate in the amount."
Babis also said it was important to mainly focus on developing European solutions and joint projects for defence against ballistic missiles in the wake of conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.
NATO countries were meeting in Turkey for their summit, which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said had produced a huge sense of unity.
The Czechs have been laggards in defence spending, failing to meet the NATO commitment of 2% of gross domestic product last year.
Babis said on Wednesday the country was unlikely to meet the target this year, but aimed to meet it next year.
He also told reporters during the summit that the Czechs would make a small, one-off contribution to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List package to supply Ukraine with U.S. weapons.
Babis' government took power in December and had pledged to end military support for Ukraine, including not contributing to a Czech-led initiative supplying Kyiv with ammunition. It also opted out of guarantees for a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
($1 = 0.8763 euros)
