Minister: Poland’s record defence spending paves way for stronger US ties

Poland’s defence minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, has issued a clear warning to European countries, asserting that US President Donald Trump will only take their concerns about Ukraine seriously if they make substantial investments in their own defence. 

"The recipe is simple: more spending on defence, more investment in the military industry," Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized in a recent interview cited by Bloomberg, per Caliber.Az.

He added that only through increased defence spending could Europe secure a meaningful role in negotiations about the conflict in Ukraine.

Poland and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank are feeling the direct effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Kosiniak-Kamysz’s call for increased defence spending has been echoed by Polish leaders, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who earlier this week urged fellow European Union members to prepare for a more unpredictable global order by strengthening their military capabilities.

Since assuming office, Trump has intensified his calls for NATO allies to raise their defence budgets. The US president has set an ambitious target of 5% of GDP for defence spending—more than double NATO’s current benchmark of 2%. Although Trump’s past criticism of NATO has strained relations with some allies, Russia’s aggression has made many reconsider the validity of his demands. Poland is one of the few NATO members close to meeting these new expectations.

In relative terms, Poland is now NATO's largest defence spender after the Baltic states. This year, Warsaw has allocated a record 186.6 billion zloty (approximately $46.4 billion) for defence — 4.7% of its GDP, up from 3.5% the previous year. This increase includes funds to replace military equipment sent to Ukraine. According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s strong commitment to defence spending puts the country in a favourable position to strengthen ties with the new US administration.

Poland has also become the largest European buyer of American military equipment, with $60 billion worth of orders placed with US defence companies. Last year, the country signed significant defence deals, including a $1.2 billion agreement to produce 48 Patriot M903 launch stations and a $10 billion deal for 96 Apache helicopters. Additionally, Poland has ordered over 350 Abrams tanks and 32 F-35 fighter jets, replacing ageing Soviet-era equipment with US-made, NATO-standard assets.

Poland has also become a key gateway for Western humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, with NATO's presence expanding on its territory. In 2023, the US established a garrison in Poznan, western Poland, and now has 10,000 troops stationed in the country.

Kosiniak-Kamysz further suggested that Europe needs to adopt a more coordinated defense strategy, which would include redirecting unused post-pandemic recovery funds toward military investments. "If we could afford to take on debt to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must be able to afford the new spending needed to protect ourselves from war," he argued.

The defence minister also proposed the creation of joint EU defence debt to finance military spending, criticizing the EU's current €1.5 billion defence fund as "simply shameful." However, several European governments oppose joint borrowing for defence, making this proposal difficult to implement.

For Poland, the threat from Russia is immediate, but for other NATO countries, it seems more distant. Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that the Kremlin's ambitions extend beyond Ukraine, citing Russia’s support for leaders in eastern Libya and its increasing influence in Africa. These geopolitical moves could destabilize southern Europe, he argued. "I think our partners from Italy or Spain have to be aware of this," he said. "Lack of investment in security doesn’t mean there are no threats on their borders."

By Tamilla Hasanova