Babiš unhappy with Czech Defense Minister Zůna, sources say

The position of Czech Defense Minister Jaromír Zůna (SPD) remains shaky. According to sources, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) is dissatisfied with the pace of work of the minister, a retired lieutenant general, and often criticizes him, including in front of colleagues. The latest example was Tuesday's meeting of the National Security Council, which discussed the new army concept.

Army concept: deadline missed

The document sets out what the military should have in the coming years and what it should be able to do. Babiš wanted it as early as May. The prime minister made no secret of the delay and admitted at a press conference on Monday that it had dragged on and that he does not understand what is so difficult about it. The council approved the document the next day, and the government is expected to give it final approval next Monday or the one after.

Even so, Zůna had a hard time at the meeting. A source close to the ministry said that Babiš questioned the minister in front of the other participants about details he did not know, such as how many drones a particular unit would receive. Others in the minister's circle confirmed that the prime minister “gave him a hard time.” Zůna did not respond to questions before publication.

Swearing at a cabinet meeting

Several sources say it is not just a matter of “probing questions”: at one of the regular government meetings, Babiš reportedly swore at the defense minister in vulgar terms. As one participant noted, however, Zůna is not the only one who has to put up with this. According to the source, everyone gets this treatment from the prime minister sooner or later, and coarse language is sometimes directed at other ministers as well.

No one could confirm whether replacing the minister is being discussed. According to the sources, it is somewhat convenient for the prime minister that an important and highly visible portfolio formally remains SPD's “responsibility.” In the corridors of the Chamber of Deputies, people also say that Babiš is unhappy with Zůna but has no other candidate. The same is said of Education Minister Plaga, who in recent weeks has been under pressure from coalition partners the Motorists and SPD over inclusion.

SPD chairman Tomio Okamura said there is no reason to open a discussion about replacing the minister and that he has received no such information from the prime minister. Under the coalition agreement, a replacement is proposed by the leader of the party that holds the post. SPD is happy with the minister: according to Okamura, he is carrying out the tasks set out in the government's program statement, and the movement's ratings are not falling because of its participation in the cabinet.

A cold reception in Washington

Zůna's position is also described as weak abroad. Last week he visited the United States, and at the Pentagon he was received not by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth but only by his deputy for policy, Elbridge Colby. A source close to the minister called it “minister minus three” and added that this in itself is a signal. Zůna's predecessor, Jana Černochová, met directly with then-Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on her trips to the U.S.

On the social network X, Černochová stressed that under her, relations with American partners were open and friendly, with trust and direct contact at the highest level, rather than being received by deputies in an antechamber. According to the sources, the meeting with a deputy was a “punishment” for insufficient defense spending, which Colby has repeatedly raised with Zůna. Last year the Czech Republic ended up near the bottom of the NATO list, which is why Babiš spoke last of all 32 member states at the alliance's summit in Ankara.

The insufficient spending goes back to the government of Petr Fiala (ODS), which claimed to have exceeded 2 percent of GDP on defense. A check at NATO headquarters in Brussels showed that this had not happened. The current cabinet intends to meet the commitment: in the summer, Jakub Landovský, head of the ministry's defense policy and strategy department, said that in 2027 spending will be firmly above 2 percent of GDP, and the country will stay there.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz