NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk jointly called for greater defence spending amid the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Rutte and Tusk met in Poland on Wednesday at the invitation of the latter, who announced last week that he would hold meetings to discuss the future of Europe after Trump’s victory.
“The relationship is crucial, but it is even more crucial that we have identical – not similar, but identical – views on the situation in the world, including this currently on fire.”
During a joint press conference, the two leaders discussed their deep friendship, aiming for closer co-operation between Poland and NATO.
We live in constantly changing [political] circumstances, so it is important that we can place trust and confidence in both you, Mark, and the whole Alliance.
Tusk said he familiarised Rutte with efforts to reinforce the eastern border as part of the East Shield initiative. Rutte, for his part, praised Warsaw for what he called outstanding achievements in defence spending, as Poland is the NATO leader, spending more than 4% of GDP. Moreover, the country plans to increase its spending to 4.7% already by 2025.
“This sends a clear message not only to our adversaries but also to the United States that Europe understands it must do more to ensure our shared security. And that starts with spending more and fielding more capabilities.”
During the election campaign, Trump suggested that the US would not help the Europeans if they did not spend more on defence. NATO members must spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence, but so far not all are meeting the target.
As European NATO allies worry that under Trump, the US could end or reduce support for Ukraine, Rutte praised Poland as a staunch supporter of Kyiv. Poland “provides crucial military aid and hosts over 1 million Ukrainian refugees […] and hosts the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre,” the alliance chief said.
Rutte also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. They discussed the official opening of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence base in Redzikowo.
This site significantly enhances our ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area. […] [It] is a testament to the strong commitment of both the United States and Poland to our collective defence.
However, at a conference after the meeting, Kosiniak-Kamysz mentioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent criticism of Poland for not delivering promised MiG fighter jets and refusing to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine’s western territories.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that Poland would like to see “more respect” from Ukraine for what Warsaw had done for Kyiv since the first day of the war.
