Defense spending exceeds 4% of the country's GDP: Polish MoD
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Poland has become the leader in terms of defense spending as a percentage economy amid other NATO states.
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U.S.-made Abrams tanks purchased by Poland take part in a massive military parade to celebrate the Polish Army Day, in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said today that the Polish defense spending has exceeded 4% of the country's GDP which makes Poland the leader in terms of such spending as a percentage economy among other NATO states.
Kosiniak-Kamysz announced on live Polish television after a NATO defense ministers meeting "We hold a leading position among the NATO states as we spend the most money compared with the economy. It accounts for 4.23% of GDP," adding that over 50% of the country's defense spending is for modernizing the army.
After a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday, NATO defense ministers met at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
NATO chief urged Europe to boost arms production
Last week, NATO's Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, urged European nations to enhance their arms production to aid Ukraine and avert the possibility of a prolonged confrontation with Moscow.
In an interview published by German media ahead of a crucial NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels and the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg stressed the necessity of swiftly rebuilding and expanding the industrial base to accelerate deliveries to Ukraine and replenish NATO's supplies.
"This means shifting from slow peacetime to high-tempo conflict production," he said, as quoted by the German Sunday daily Welt am Sonntag.
Stoltenberg's remarks coincide with escalating requests for shells, ammunition, and additional military support from Ukraine. Western leaders, including Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Joe Biden, have joined the chorus, pressing US lawmakers on Friday to endorse a long-awaited military aid package for Ukraine. They emphasized that without this assistance, Kiev would be unable to withstand the ongoing war.
"The failure of the United States' Congress in not supporting Ukraine is close to criminal neglect," Biden said as he hosted Scholz in the Oval Office on Friday.
Stoltenberg said, "There is no imminent military threat against any ally. At the same time, we hear regular threats from the Kremlin against NATO countries."
The war in Ukraine nearly two years ago has shown that "peace in Europe cannot be taken for granted," the NATO chief said, stressing the importance of "protecting" countries in the alliance.
"As long as we invest in our security and stay united, we will continue to deter any aggression," he said.
