Czech news in brief for January 25: Sunday's top afternoon headlines

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about NATO soldiers avoiding frontline combat in Afghanistan were “beyond the pale” and devalued the sacrifice of Czech troops. Babiš noted that 14 Czech soldiers died during missions in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Petr Macinka also rejected Trump’s claims, stressing that allied deployments operated under NATO command, often led by U.S. generals.

Freezing rain and snow are expected to affect western parts of Czechia as a low-pressure system moves in from the western Mediterranean. A warning for icy conditions applies from Sunday morning until midnight in parts of Ústí, Central Bohemia, Plzeň and South Bohemia. From 6 p.m., a separate warning takes effect for heavy snowfall in Karlovy Vary and parts of Pilsen and Ústí regions.

Nearly 87 percent of Czechs believe the United States has no right to acquire Greenland, and more than 72 percent say they do not trust U.S. President Donald Trump, according to an exclusive NMS Market Research survey for Novinky.cz. The poll found broad cross-party agreement rejecting Trump’s claims, with 69 percent supporting clear public backing for Denmark and Greenland.

Average rents in the Czech Republic rose 16 percent year on year to CZK 19,529 in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to an analysis by UlovDomov.cz. Compared with the previous quarter, rents increased by 4 percent. The sharpest growth was seen in smaller flats in large cities such as Brno, Ostrava and Olomouc. Despite rising rents, monthly mortgage payments remain 1.2 to 1.9 times higher than rent in many cases.

Czech tennis player Jakub Menšík has withdrawn from the Australian Open ahead of his scheduled last-16 match against ten-time champion Novak Djoković. The 20-year-old said on social media that worsening abdominal muscle problems forced him to pull out despite efforts to continue. Menšík had reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time in his career, marking his best Grand Slam result to date.