NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed Wednesday that the Czech Republic did not meet the alliance’s defense spending target of 2% of GDP in 2023. This finding validates claims made in April by former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who asserted the current government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala had not reached the goal despite public statements to the contrary. The alliance’s assessment contradicts previous assertions by the Fiala government regarding its defense expenditure. Rutte’s confirmation centers on the official NATO evaluation of the Czech Republic’s financial contributions. Babiš had previously criticized the current administration for allegedly misrepresenting the country’s defense spending performance. The discrepancy raises questions about transparency and accountability in reporting national defense budgets to NATO.