Poland’s Duda insists on NATO allies to spend 3% of GDP on defence

Polish President Andrzej Duda has urged other NATO countries to increase their respective defence spending to 3% of GDP, arguing that the security situation has changed and previous decade-old agreements lack ambition.

In 2023, Poland spent 4% of its GDP on defence, placing the country among NATO’s biggest military spenders and well above the 2% of GDP NATO states agreed to in 2014.

“What was adequate to the 2014 situation, in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, certainly does not suffice,” Duda said during his visit to Edmonton, Canada.

The Polish president also welcomed the 2.5% spending pledge until 2030 UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made on Tuesday, which Duda says goes in the “right direction.”

“Today, Russia, which invaded Ukraine, is the aggressor. We have to fortify ourselves so that no one will dare to attack us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russia has moved nuclear-capable missile systems to the Finnish border, as reported by state media, in what appears to be the latest threat from the Kremlin to use such weapons against the West.

According to the Russian media, the newly formed missile brigade, the Leningrad Military District, had been strengthened with Iskander-M missile systems.

Asked if increasing defence budgets and Russia’s announcement are a direct way to military confrontation, he said “quite the contrary”.

What NATO does “is anything but leading up to a confrontation” with Russia, Duda said. “It is a way to prevent a confrontation,” he added.

Duda and Tusk to discuss nuclear weapons 

On Monday, Duda also announced that Poland is ready to host nuclear weapons on its territory as part of the Nuclear Sharing programme, confirming he had been in talks on the matter with the US administration during a recent visit.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose Civic Platform (PO, EPP) party was previously sceptical of such a move, called for a meeting with the president to “better understand his intentions.”

“This idea is (…) very serious, and I would have to know all the circumstances that prompted the president to make his declaration,” he said.

The previous nationalist PiS-led government, of which Duda himself is part and which he was often accused of siding with, was in favour.

Duda later confirmed meeting Tusk to discuss Poland’s participation in the nuclear sharing programme.

“For me, it is clear and obvious that we cooperate in matters relating to foreign policy and in any other matter where there is a need,” he said.

“So far, this cooperation has been going well, as you have seen, and is beneficial for Poland.”

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)

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