Poland’s president on Monday called on other NATO allies to raise defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product as Russia puts its economy on war footing and moves ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.
President Andrzej Duda made this call in his national and international remarks. His appeal came on the eve of a visit to the White House by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, where he will welcome Duda, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and others.
“In the face of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s growing imperialist ambitions, NATO members must take bold and uncompromising action,” Duda said in an address to the nation on Monday night.
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His appeal comes as Poland marks the 25th anniversary of its membership in NATO on March 12, 1999, along with the Czech Republic and Hungary.
“Poland is proud to have been a part of Poland for 25 years,” he said. “There is, and has been, no greater guarantee of security than the North Atlantic Alliance.”
“The war in Ukraine has clearly demonstrated that the United States is, and must continue to be, a leader in European and global security issues,” Duda said in a speech to the nation. “However, other NATO countries must also take greater responsibility for the security of the entire alliance and must intensively modernize and strengthen their armed forces.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks to the media in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, January 10, 2024, after the arrest of two politicians convicted of abuse of power who had taken refuge in the Presidential Palace for several hours. issued a statement in response. (AP Photo/Charek Sokolowski)
Duda’s remarks came on the same day that Sweden’s flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels to cement its status as the 32nd member of the transatlantic alliance. Finland joined NATO last year.
“Today, NATO is sending a clear and strong signal by welcoming Finland and Sweden into its ranks,” he said. “This is a historic event. Countries that have remained neutral for years will join the alliance. NATO will be significantly strengthened as a result. But bolder decisions are needed.”
Following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO member states agreed in 2014 to raise defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), but most members, including Germany, is still not up to that standard.
However, Poland currently spends 4% of its GDP on defense, making it the member state that spends the most on military modernization by percentage, with the United States well ahead of 3%.
“Russia’s imperial ambitions and aggressive revisionism are pushing it into direct confrontation with NATO, the West, and ultimately the entire free world,” Duda wrote in an op-ed published in the Washington Post. It’s driving me forward.”
Duda said this puts the United States and Poland in a position to “set an example and provide inspiration to other countries.”
“The Russian Federation has switched its economy to war mode, dedicating nearly 30 percent of its annual budget to armaments,” Duda wrote in an editorial for the newspaper. “These numbers and other data coming out of Russia are alarming. Vladimir Putin’s regime poses the greatest threat to world peace since the end of the Cold War.”
The Biden administration has suggested that Duda’s call for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to raise their defense spending targets may be too ambitious, at least for now.
“I think the first step is to get all countries to meet the 2% threshold, and we’re seeing improvements in that,” said Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman. “But I think that’s a first step before we start talking about additional proposals.”
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After his visit to the United States, Mr. Duda is scheduled to visit Brussels and meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
