PRAGUE, March 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine highlights the "urgent need for a fundamental shift in Europe's current policy," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday.

"We must strengthen our economic and military capabilities and take full responsibility for our own security. This requires increased investment in defense. Ensuring our security also means intensifying our support for Ukraine," he said on social media platform X.

"The era of relying on others to address fundamental international challenges on our behalf is over. Now is the time for Europe to move decisively from words to action," he added.

Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration paused all military aid to Ukraine on Monday. The pause will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine's leaders "demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace" with Russia, a senior Defense Department official was quoted as saying.

Fiala has recently mentioned the need to increase his country's defense budget. He called for raising defense spending to at least 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and plans to present a relevant plan to the coalition government in the coming days or weeks.

Last year, the Czech Republic met its commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense in line with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) requirement, according to the country's defense ministry. Enditem

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