New Delhi, March 13 -- Czech Republic lawmakers on Wednesday approved a 2026 budget that falls short of a NATO target for defense spending, despite pressure from the United States and the country's own president.

The legislators loyal to the new government of populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis, voted 104-87 in Parliament's 200-seat lower house to allocate almost 155 billion koruna ($7.4 billion) for the Defense Ministry, or just over 1.7% of gross domestic product.

The NATO target is 2% of GDP. The Czech spending would inch above 2% only if funding for defense-related projects at other ministries is factored in. It was not clear if that would be acceptable to the alliance, which the Czech Republic has been a member of since 1999.

Bab...