Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak expressed support for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for NATO countries to allocate 5% of their GDP for defense, even if some alliance members will need up to 10 years to meet this target.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Błaszczak noted that Poland could play a role as a link between the challenge posed by Trump and its implementation in Europe. Ahead of his return to the White House, Trump ramped up pressure on NATO members, calling for increased defense spending. Błaszczak emphasized that this goal is “an important and alarming signal” for the alliance.
To achieve Trump’s goal will take another decade, but we should not criticize him for being ambitious, as otherwise, some countries will continue to discuss the need for increased spending, the minister said.
The minister also stressed that the EU has the capacity to redistribute funds. He pointed out that his priority is to allocate 100 billion euros for defense in the coming years, including redistributing unused funds from the 800 billion euro pandemic recovery fund, which will conclude next year.
