The NATO summit has decided to increase defense spending, which reflects the current global situation, said President Andrzej Duda. He emphasized that he had been advocating for such a solution for a year. He also expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump for supporting the initiative to raise defense expenditures.
According to a declaration adopted on Wednesday at the NATO summit in The Hague, NATO countries will invest 5 percent of their GDP annually in core defense needs as well as other defense and security-related expenditures through 2035.
At a press conference following the summit, President Duda stated that NATO’s decision in The Hague “corresponds to the situation.” He spoke about more than a year of efforts aimed at increasing defense spending among NATO member states. He highlighted that the United States is the strongest country in the Alliance and a military power, and expressed appreciation to President Trump for his clear and consistent support of the initiative from the very beginning.
Duda said he is very pleased with the decision to raise defense spending because, as he noted, a strong Alliance means a strong and secure Poland. He pointed out that Poland and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank “do not need to be told what the situation is,” emphasizing that the threat of Russian imperialism is real.
President Duda stressed that he is concluding his presidential mission with peace of mind, noting that a significant change has occurred since the initial discussions on raising defense spending and the broader attitude surrounding the issue. He added that “everyone now understands that more needs to be spent.”