International06 May 2026

NATO must spend 5% of GDP on defence by 2030, says Poland

NATO countries need to hit the alliance's target of spending ​5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence ‌five years ahead of schedule in 2030, Poland's defence minister said on Wednesday, as he warned of the ​risks of being too late in rearming.





  • An eastern ​member of NATO that borders both Russia ⁠and Ukraine, Poland has been ramping up its ​military spending in the face of what it ​regards as the rising threat from Moscow.







  • Warsaw is NATO's biggest military spender relative to the size of its economy and ​plans to spend 4.8% of GDP on ​defence in 2026.







  • "Europe is capable of developing its economic potential ‌on ⁠an unimaginable scale, but we must be clear: this is today's priority," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Defence 24 Days conference in Warsaw.







  • "There's no point in ​waiting until ​2035 for ⁠5% - it must be achieved by 2030, because later may be too late," ​he said.







  • At a summit in June ​2025 NATO ⁠leaders agreed to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security-related investments by 2035.







  • This includes items ⁠such ​as cybersecurity and upgrading roads and ​ports to handle heavy military equipment.




- Reuters
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