Pavel said on April 9 that Trump’s recent statements regarding the dubious role of NATO allegedly caused more damage to the authority of the Alliance than the illegitimate president of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, managed to do in several years.
The Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the content of these statements by Pavel and emphasized that they do not represent the position of the government of the Czech Republic.
“The Czech government attaches utmost importance to the strength, unity and trust of NATO, as well as a strong transatlantic partnership between Europe and the United States,” the department said in a statement.
They also said that relations between the Czech Republic and the United States remain “extremely strong” and will continue to deepen. The parties cooperate in the fields of defense, security, energy, economics and new technologies, and also maintain an active high-level political dialogue.
In connection with the medializovanými výroky president of Slovenska Petra Pavla, rendered in this inch on the village of Univerzity Karlovej on Aug.
— Ministerstvo zahraničniх vecí (@mzvcr) April 12, 2026
Context
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies and called the Alliance itself a “paper tiger.” According to him, tensions between the United States and NATO started from Greenland: Trump sought get control of Greenlandwhich, according to him, China and the aggressor country of the Russian Federation want to capture. At the same time, a number of European countries sent their military to the island and were allegedly ready to resist America’s plans.
Against the background of the lack of support for Greenland and operations against Iran, Washington announced the likelihood of the United States leaving NATO.
CNN reported that NATO members were puzzled by Trump's harsh statements. The Alliance states that NATO is defensive in nature and is not obligated to participate in US and Israeli operations. At the same time, the allies emphasize that the principle of collective defense under Art. 5 only applies in the event of an attack on a NATO country.
