Czech PM blocks president from NATO summit to avoid offending Trump

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced he prevented President Petr Pavel from attending the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, citing concerns that the entire summit would revolve around U.S. President Donald Trump. Pavel has repeatedly and sharply criticized Trump, calling him a "disgusting being" and stating that U.S. elections revealed the fragility of democracy. Pavel also claimed Trump had done more damage to NATO than Putin and compared Trump's negotiation style to haggling at an oriental market, adding he would not shake Trump's hand.

Babiš, who was once a staunch supporter of Trump's pragmatic and transactional political style, has recently distanced himself from the U.S. president as Trump's actions create increasing problems for Europe. Earlier this week, Babiš suggested Trump should apologize to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for claiming she begged for a photo at the recent G7 summit.

As the Ankara summit approaches, Babiš has emphasized his own five meetings with Trump, suggesting he could explain to the U.S. president why the Czech Republic is one of only three NATO states not meeting the agreed-upon defense spending target of at least 2% of GDP. Babiš explained that the government does not want to entertain President Pavel's proposal for a compromise, such as attending the summit together as they have for EU summits. He stressed the importance of the informal dinner, mentioning reports that Germany is preparing a proposal for the EU to provide Ukraine with 70 billion euros annually.

Babiš insists that discussions should focus on peace, not money for war. He also found it amusing that both the head of state and head of government would attend the dinner, stating, "The whole world would laugh at us if we were there together, holding hands, or what!?" The Czech President has asked the Constitutional Court to rule on who decides the head of state's participation in summits, to order the government not to obstruct the president's constitutional duties, and to cooperate with him. Pavel also requested a temporary measure for the Constitutional Court to order him to lead the NATO summit delegation, as the government had delayed its decision until the last moment, causing confusion about government versus presidential competencies that would only be clarified after the summit.