Polish president says NATO members should spend 3% of GDP on defence

Poland's president will propose during a visit to the United States that NATO members spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, he said on Monday.

Poland's president will propose during a visit to the United States that NATO members spend 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence, he said on Monday. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has made defence a top priority for members of NATO's eastern flank, and Poland is spending around 4% of GDP on boosting its armed forces this year.

"I want to propose... that NATO countries decide together that the alliance's requirement will be to spend not 2%, but 3% of GDP on defence, and that this will be a limit below which it is absolutely not recommended to go," Andrzej Duda said during a meeting of Poland's National Security Council. He said that NATO's response to Russia following the outbreak of war in Ukraine must be "clear and bold".

Duda and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit the White House in Washington on Tuesday to mark the 25th anniversary of Poland joining NATO.