Poland has the highest defense spending among all NATO countries, with a goal to maintain its close ties with the US and keep Russia at bay, according to Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in an interview with Politico.
Warsaw plans to allocate 4.7 percent of its GDP for the military this year, a significant portion of which will be spent on new weapons to modernize and expand the country’s military forces. The minister stated that Poland has spent 55 to 60 billion US dollars on military equipment from US production.
The Polish government hopes that these numbers will impress the new Trump administration, showing that the country meets the two conditions Trump often emphasizes: high defense spending and strong economic ties for US businesses in Europe.
Kosiniak-Kamysz described this as a “kind of insurance policy.” If other European countries are concerned about the potential reduction of US engagement in European defense, they should follow Poland’s example, he said.
He emphasized that Europe should invest more in security to maintain the presence of the US in Europe, rather than trying to replace it. “We should not be worried about the US leaving, we should be worried about the US not being present in Europe” he added.
According to reports, the threat from Russia is the second reason for increased military spending in Poland. Massive spending on tanks, air defense systems, artillery and fighter jets is intended to deter Russia. “We need to be prepared for every scenario, that’s why we invest so much in defense. The NATO has two tasks: deterrence and defense” the minister said.
During his presidential campaign, Trump announced that he would only protect NATO countries that meet the 2 percent of GDP defense spending target. However, in January, Trump changed his stance, saying that NATO member states in Europe should increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP. “You can all afford it” he said. According to Reuters, this goal is currently not met by any of the 32 NATO member states, including the US.
Kosiniak-Kamysz described Trump’s demand as a “challenging but necessary one.”
At the next NATO summit in June, the member states will discuss higher defense spending. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned the EU of the consequences of insufficient defense spending. NATO member states should increase their defense spending to up to 3.7 percent of their GDP to meet the military demands, Rutte said.
The minister emphasized that countries that have not yet met the 2 percent target should do so as soon as possible. In total, 24 of the 32 NATO member states have already met the target, he added.
Although the Ukraine aid will be on the agenda at the summit, the Polish defense minister doubts that Ukraine will receive an invitation for NATO membership. Additionally, Warsaw does not plan to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine to ensure the implementation of a potential peace agreement. “From the very beginning, Poland has clearly stated that it does not envision the deployment of troops to Ukraine” the minister said.