Poland: NATO will need 10 years to increase defense spending by 5%

(Dan Tri) - NATO country Poland believes that it will take 10 years for alliance members to increase military spending to 5% of GDP as US President-elect Donald Trump wants.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (Photo: Reuters).

US President-elect Donald Trump wants NATO members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, but Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said this goal would take up to 10 years to achieve.

Last week, Mr Trump highlighted the disparity in defence spending among NATO members and called on European countries in the bloc to increase their defence budgets to 5% of GDP, asserting that “every country can afford it”.

Previously, Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized NATO allies for not spending enough on defense, putting the burden of security protection on the US. He even warned that he could withdraw the US from the military alliance.

While backing Mr Trump's ambitious target, Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz said "it will take another decade to achieve, but I don't think he should be criticised for setting an ambitious target, because otherwise there will be some countries that will continue to debate whether the additional spending is really necessary".

Poland is currently NATO's biggest defense spender as a percentage of GDP, according to the military bloc's data. Warsaw spent 4.12% of its GDP on defense last year and plans to increase spending to 4.7% by 2025. NATO's current defense spending target is 2% of GDP, a target that many countries still struggle to meet.

Mr Kosiniak-Kamysz suggested that Poland “could be the transatlantic bridge between the challenge posed by President Trump and its implementation in Europe”.

He pledged to use Warsaw’s upcoming EU presidency to push for increased defence spending, arguing that if the bloc could borrow to rebuild after the Covid-19 pandemic, surely it could find the budget to protect itself from security risks.

On the other hand, Mr. Kosiniak-Kamysz rejected the deployment of Polish troops to Ukraine, even if it was part of efforts to promote peace . He said that "bordering countries should not appear with their troops in Ukraine".

According to the official, members of the US-led military bloc should focus on providing indirect support to Kiev.

Mr Trump’s push for NATO to increase defence spending has drawn mixed reactions, with some EU officials expressing concerns about its economic viability. German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who is running as the Green Party’s candidate for chancellor in February’s election, called the target “unrealistic.”

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko recently warned that NATO appears to be preparing for conflict with Moscow, warning that the bloc's current path threatens both Russia and the entire common security architecture.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ba-lan-nato-se-can-10-nam-de-tang-chi-tieu-quoc-phong-len-5-20250114111756939.htm