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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s hardline nationalist election rhetoric is reverberating far beyond US borders. His words, in a New York Times interview, regarding the possibility of conditional US support for NATO allies in times of need has evoked a strong negative response in Europe and sent ripples of unease around the post-communist bloc.

Czech politicians have reacted to US Republican nominee Donald Trump’s words regarding conditional US support for NATO allies in time of need. Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said NATO was the basis for European security and expressed the hope that the US would remain a solid NATO partner no matter who wins the presidential elections. I am glad that the UK has confirmed it wants to stay part of NATO although it is leaving the EU, Mr. Sobotka said. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, who is currently on a working visit to the US, said that questioning the principle of mutual military aid was dangerous.

Czech president Miloš Zeman, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lubomír Zaorálek and Minister of Defense Martin Stropnický attended a two-day NATO summit in Warsaw, which got under way on Friday. Before leaving Warsaw on Saturday, the Czech head of state told journalists that he stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue with Russia, which he said could change the stance of some Russian politicians. Mr Zeman has also welcomed the decision to maintain a stable military presence in Afghanistan and to fund Afghan security forces through 2020.

The Czech head of state, foreign, and defense ministers fly out to Warsaw Friday for the start of the two-day NATO summit in Warsaw. The military alliance looks set to occupy an even bigger stage in the future following Brexit and is getting back to basics with European security now in the forefront of concerns.

Czech President Miloš Zeman will head the Czech delegation at the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, to deal with security on the alliance's eastern border, namely a force to serve in the Baltic states and Poland. According to the Czech News Agency, Czechs could serve alongside other NATO forces in the mission in the coming years. Southern security and Afghanistan are also to be discussed and an agreement between NATO and the EU signed. Along with the head of state, the Czech foreign and defence ministers will also be attending, together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, General Josef Běcvář.

The second highest NATO official, General Petr Pavel, has criticized the pace of increased defense spending by the Czech Republic and other members of the military alliance saying it does not respond adequately to the current security situation. The Czech chairman of the NATO Military Committee was Monday on his first official visit to the Czech Republic since taking up the top post. He pointed out that the Czech Republic is among the bottom quarter of alliance countries in boosting its military spending. Talks with top Czech military in Prague covered the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw and joint NATO exercises in the Baltics.

Scientists from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague are developing affordable equipment to help army and police rapidly and reliably detect explosives and chemicals that could be used in combat or other incidents. The NATO-supported project was launched two years ago, and the result, a sensor which should be part of a uniform, will be available to troops from all NATO countries.

Members of a US military convoy, greeted by Defence Minister Martin Stropnický, the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces Josef Bečvář and the US ambassador to Prague Andrew Shapiro on Friday, continued on their journey on Saturday morning to Výškov and Přáslavice. The convoy is on its way to exercises in the Baltic states. Czech army vehicles are due to join the convoy on Saturday, when Czech and US soldiers will get a chance to familiarize themselves with the different equipment being used. The US convoy is expected to quit Czech territory on Monday morning.

Ministers of defense of the Visegrad Four countries meeting outside Prague have agreed to propose the dispatching of an army contingent to the Baltic states in 2017. The proposal will be formally made at the Warsaw Summit of NATO countries in July. The Baltic states have called for a reinforced NATO presence in their countries. The contingent could be rotated between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary. Details are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks ahead of the summit.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka returned from an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Monday where he met with the country’s top officials and visited Czech troops serving in NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. The prime minister said Czech troops would remain for as long as they were needed, but stressed that the country must gradually accept a greater share of responsibility for its internal security.