Poland vows to outrun US in NATO army spending

(MENAFN) Poland has announced its intention to exceed the United States in relative military spending by allocating 4.8% of its GDP to defense in 2026. This move comes amid ongoing calls from US President Donald Trump for European NATO members to take greater responsibility for their security, increase support for Ukraine, and raise defense budgets to 5% of GDP. In July, NATO members agreed to pursue this 5% target by 2035, up from the previous guideline of 2%.

On Thursday, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domański revealed plans to dedicate a record 200 billion zloty ($55 billion) to the military in the draft budget for 2026. This spending would position Poland as the highest relative defense spender within NATO, surpassing the US, which typically spends about 3.2% of GDP on defense. Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the importance of building “a modern, large army” regardless of costs.

Other European NATO countries have also increased military investments recently, with billions funneled into arms purchases and a historic expansion of Western European arms manufacturing, according to the Financial Times. The pace of this growth has tripled since 2022, signaling what the outlet described as Western Europe “building for war.” Germany has seen a surge in military recruitment and is contemplating reinstating conscription, while France’s latest defense review predicts a “major war” in Europe by 2030. European governments justify the buildup by citing the perceived threat from Russia.

Russia denies any hostile intentions and calls fears of an attack on NATO “nonsense.” Kremlin officials accuse the West of fearmongering to justify higher military budgets. Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Western leaders are preparing for “a real war against Russia,” accused the EU of a “Russophobic frenzy,” and claimed that Western Europe’s militarization is “uncontrolled.” Lavrov went further, suggesting that Western European nations are turning into a “Fourth Reich,” drawing historical parallels to their rearmament efforts.

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