Andrzej Duda has announced plans to persuade allies to increase their defense spending to at least 3% of GDP. The President, who chaired the National Security Council meeting on Monday, also revealed the commencement of work on a new national security strategy. This is reported by Defence24.pl.
President Duda, along with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, will be traveling on separate flights to Washington, where they are scheduled to meet with United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday, marking the anniversary of NATO's expansion to include former Eastern Bloc countries.
"We meet in this symbolic manner to discuss the strategic challenges currently facing Poland's security in the context of our membership in the North Atlantic Alliance," Duda stated at the opening of the NSC meeting. According to the President, it is a significant and meaningful gesture that two representatives from Poland have been invited to the White House for this meeting on the 25th anniversary of our countries joining NATO.
"I believe we should advocate for this proposal – which I intend to present during our visit to the White House and will discuss with all our allies, including the NATO Secretary-General – that NATO countries jointly decide to require not just 2 percent, but 3 percent of GDP to be spent on defense," he said. Duda explained this is to facilitate the modernization of the military and "building the military resources Europe needs," as well as to avoid current issues like the assembly of ammunition for Ukraine.
He reminded that Poland's current defense spending as a percentage of GDP is 4 percent. "If we say that no one dares to attack NATO, it must be added that no one dares to attack a strong NATO. There must be a clear and bold response to Russian aggression. This response will be the increase of the military potential of the North Atlantic Alliance," he emphasized.
Duda informed of ongoing work on a new national security strategy, taking into account the lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "I want to thank the Minister of National Defense, the Deputy Prime Minister, for expressing the willingness to work on a new national security strategy. I am starting work on guidelines in this regard. We have the previous strategy from 2020. The year 2022 has brought about a huge change, from which we have been drawing lessons since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he assured.
"I am pleased that we will carry this out together, and I hope that soon this document will be created and hopefully, before the 3rd anniversary of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, we will have this document ready and adopted," he declared.
