A fractured Czech delegation drew attention at the NATO summit in Ankara, as CNN described the dual representation by both Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and President Petr Pavel as a consequence of a domestic political dispute.
The two leaders travelled separately and were seen together for the first time only moments before a pre-summit dinner, where Babiš was seated next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pavel joined Balkan and Baltic leaders. Babiš later characterised the dinner as informal, with no discussion of NATO spending, while Pavel said defence expenditures and Ukraine support were on the agenda. Pavel attended at the personal invitation of Turkish President Recep Erdoğan despite government reluctance to send him.
During formal sessions, Babiš held bilateral talks with leaders of the Netherlands, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia, while Pavel met counterparts from Finland, Poland, Belgium, and others, focusing on defence spending, Ukraine support, and European defence industry integration.