Poland to increase its defense spending to 5% - Sikorsky
Kyiv • UNN
Poland plans to increase its defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2025, up from about 4% this year, as it seeks to bolster its military capabilities in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski says Poland plans to increase its defense spending to 5% of GDP in 2025.
Written by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski expressed agreement with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the need for increased spending by NATO allies.
He noted that the pressure exerted by Trump during his first term, along with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the approach of the current US administration, has prompted 23 of NATO's 32 members to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense.
Sikorski emphasized that Poland plans to allocate about 4% of its GDP to defense this year. He also noted that defense spending should not be the only criterion for assessing countries' contributions, pointing to the important role of Iceland in NATO, which, despite its small defense budget, allows allies to refuel aircraft.
Sikorski also recalled Poland's military contribution in Afghanistan on the side of the United States, when it spent less than 2% of GDP on defense.
We are no longer in perpetual peace after the Cold War. But an alliance is not a security company
During the three-day NATO summit, which ended in Washington on Thursday, leaders discussed the possibility of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency in the November elections. Trump, who belongs to the Republican Party, has previously criticized allies for insufficient defense spending and claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January if he wins the election. Sikorski noted that in the run-up to the US election, Poland has entered into a dialogue with the potential new administration.
Polish President Andrzej Duda had a two-hour conversation with Trump on the Ukraine crisis at Trump Tower in New York in April.
I talk to President Trump's people, and some of the things they tell me about what they plan to do are interesting and creative. Some of these things are controversial
According to him, he hopes that Trump "will want to be a winner and a victor in achieving a just peace in Ukraine, which means that Ukraine enjoys its freedom.
Recall
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski says Warsaw is considering a Ukrainian proposal to shoot down Russian missiles close to Polish territory while they are still in Ukrainian airspace.
