Poland commits over 4% of GDP to defence, seeks NATO increase

"We can proudly say that Poland has been a responsible member of the North Atlantic Alliance from the very beginning," stated Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday as he opened the National Security Council meeting.

The President highlighted that currently, Poland spends over 4 percent of its GDP on defence, focusing on modernising and developing its military and acquiring the most advanced equipment to, as he stated, "align with the practice of our national security doctrine and our national security strategy, that has been adopted for many years, to ensure we have the greatest capabilities for our defence."

"In the USA, I will discuss with our allies and the NATO Secretary General the initiative to have Alliance countries allocate 3 percent of GDP to defence," emphasised Andrzej Duda.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg revealed in mid-February that by 2024, 18 countries are expected to invest at least 2 percent of their GDP in defence.

He also mentioned that since 2014, European NATO members and Canada have raised their defence budgets by a total of £490 billion. "Last year, we observed an unprecedented - an 11-percent - increase in this sector," he reported.

For the first time in thirty years, Germany has submitted to NATO defence spending plans that exceed 2 percent of its gross domestic product, translating to defence expenditures of approximately £60 billion.