Europe needs to adapt to the diminishing role of the US in European defence, Czech President Petr Pavel said in his opening remarks at Globsec, the largest security forum in the region, hosted in Prague.

“It is a call to ensure we will be able to defend our own interests even without active American support if necessary,” Pavel was quoted as saying by the Czech Press Agency (ČTK) on June 12, when the three-day forum was opened.

Pavel reiterated that Europe’s stepping up of defence capabilities needs to go hand in hand with its military support for Ukraine and making sure it can withstand the attacks of invading Russian armies.

Ukraine’s “resolve and innovative approach is the source of inspiration for all of us,” Pavel said, adding later that developments on Ukraine’s battlefield are changing the nature of warfare worldwide at a rapid pace, which is often hard to follow. 

Pavel also highlighted that the US will still play a pivotal role if Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is to be pushed to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine, and he also thinks that although Donald Trump’s administration forced Europe to face immediate strategic concerns it should not result in the decoupling of Europe from US.

The forum was attended by more than 2,000 participants from more than 90 countries, according to the figures shared by the Bratislava-based Globsec think tank with local media, and took place under the patronage of Pavel and the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It was the second time it took place in Prague, where it moved last year after it lost the support of the left-right cabinet of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico amid Fico’s cabinet’s push against liberal and pro-western think tanks and NGO’s in Slovakia. Since then, Fico has stepped up his aggressive rhetoric, claiming earlier this year that foreign NGOs are supposed to be involved in an alleged coup against his cabinet.

Prior to moving to Prague, the Globsec forum was held in the Slovak capital, Bratislava for 18 times and was the country’s most high-profile international event. The 2023 edition of Globsec hosted French President Emmanuel Macron.

Other Czech leaders attending the forum also called on European countries to strengthen their resilience in the wake of aggressive Russia.

In one of the concluding entries on June 14, the Czech Minister of Interior, Vít Rakušan, praised the improving resilience and readiness to help in Czechia, pointing to the arrival of Ukrainians seeking shelter in Czechia since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“This is the best proof that we are capable of responding when a true danger comes,” Rakušan was quoted as saying by Czech Radio, adding that the EU is also capable of making swift decisions.