Poland says NATO must urgently increase spending | Wilnesh News

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday that NATO must urgently increase defense spending to ensure it does not become the next target of a Russian attack.

In an interview with CNBC, Duda reiterated his call for NATO members to increase their military contributions to 3% amid new reports that Moscow may be preparing to target the NATO military alliance within two to three years.

Citing unspecified German research, Duda said new evidence suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin is redoubling his efforts to turn to a war economy with a view to attacking NATO in 2026 or 2027.Domestic attacks on NATO three to five years. CNBC was unable to verify the contents of either report.

“The alarm bells are ringing,” he told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick, according to a translator.

Duda said it was therefore more important than ever to increase the alliance’s military investment, calling his increased spending targets “common sense.”

“We have two or three years to ramp up our efforts to stockpile ammunition and produce weapons to maximize European security, prepare ourselves and ensure that no invasion occurs,” he said.

“All of this needs to be done so that we don’t have to get into a fight. The key is to create such a deterrent that we don’t get attacked. That’s the point, because none of us want war,” he added.

The president of Poland, which borders Ukraine, has led calls for weapons to be supplied to Kiev since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Poland has also strengthened its military capabilities defense spending It will account for nearly 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2023 – even ahead of the United States in percentage terms.

When meeting with US President Joe Biden last week, Duda called on NATO to increase its minimum military spending target to 3% of GDP to further strengthen the alliance’s defense.

Currently, NATO allies are expected to spend 2% of GDP on defense, a threshold set by the 18 member states Meet soon This year. Earlier this month, Sweden became the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance.

Duda’s visit to the United States with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk marks a rare moment of unity between political rivals who remain deeply divided on domestic issues despite their shared calls for improved European security.

tusk warn The U.S. House of Representatives’ failure to pass a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine could put “thousands of lives” at risk and further fuel Putin’s offensive in Ukraine and beyond.

Duda would not be detained when asked on Monday whether congressional obstructionism would provide support for Putin. However, he said “every dollar” donated to Ukraine hindered Russia’s victory.

“Russian aggression must be stopped at all costs. If it is not stopped, it will spread, and then, I fear, the United States will not have enough money to stop Russia, and American soldiers will have to step in, and no one wants that,” he added .

Duda and Tusk have been locked in a months-long political dispute since Tusk returned to power late last year after nearly a decade out of power.

Since taking office in December, centrist Tusk has begun implementing a series of pro-EU reforms and purging staff linked to the former nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS), which Brussels accuses of undermining the rule of law. That sparked a backlash from Duda, a former Law and Justice member who took office with the party’s support and has offered presidential pardons to imprisoned Law and Justice MPs.

In Poland, the Prime Minister is responsible for government decisions, while the President is the head of state and Poland’s highest representative internationally.