Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Czech Republic’s Minister of Defence Jana Černochová today at the Pentagon to discuss the importance of transatlantic unity and express support for Ukraine. The Secretary recognized the Czech Republic as a valued NATO Ally and reliable friend of the United States. The Secretary applauded the Czech Republic’s strong voice against Russia’s premeditated and unjustified war in Ukraine and its commitment to providing critical capabilities to Ukraine alongside other NATO Allies. He also recognized the Czech Republic’s leadership as the Framework Nation in the new NATO battlegroup in Slovakia, and lauded our strong and growing bilateral defense ties. Both leaders agreed on the importance of safeguarding the rules-based international order and committed to strengthening their strategic partnership. Secretary Austin recognized the Czech Republic’s efforts to modernize and enhance NATO interoperability. The two leaders also signed a bilateral Reciprocal Defense Procurement (RDP) agreement renewal to open defense markets and discussed the start of Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) negotiations.