Macinka criticized Pavel and the previous government in…

Macinka criticized Pavel and the previous government in NATO summit debate

03.05.2026 15:00 HotInfo

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motoristé) sharply criticized on Sunday, in Terezie Tománková's Partie program on CNN Prima News, President Petr Pavel's plan to fly to the NATO summit in Ankara. Macinka described this plan as part of the president's election campaign and claimed it amounted to arrogant behavior. During the discussion, remarks were made about "the brass" (lampasáci) and their supply base, which the minister subsequently refused to explain. novinky.cz ↗ lidovky.cz ↗

Macinka also spoke out sharply against the previous government's approach to foreign policy. He criticized the fact that the previous government damaged relations with Russia, Slovakia and China. According to Macinka, the Czech Republic's foreign policy was focused solely on Ukraine and "spread truth and love," which in his view is a mistaken approach. He argued that a foreign policy strategy cannot be focused on just one country. forum24.cz ↗ idnes.cz ↗

MEP Alexandr Vondra (ODS) responded to Macinka's statements, calling the minister's remarks arrogant. The discussion also touched on relations with Taiwan and China, which was the main topic of the first part of the program. Macinka emphasized that the NATO summit is not a place for personal ambitions, but for serious talks about security. The foreign minister's statements, however, sparked a heated debate among politicians about the future direction of Czech foreign policy.