Polish officials offer US more defense buys, joint ammo production

WARSAW, Poland — As Poland’s protection price range is ready to achieve an unprecedented degree within the nation’s historical past, at 4.7 p.c of gross home product, U.S. Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth has known as on international locations within the area to equally ramp up their navy expenditures.

Polish protection leaders, in flip, stated they wish to have interaction the U.S. trade in joint ammunition manufacturing.

On the final leg of his European tour, throughout which he additionally stopped in Germany and Belgium, Hegseth visited Poland the place he held talks on Friday with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the nation’s deputy prime minister and protection minister.

Within the aftermath of Russia’s assault towards Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has positioned itself as one of many invaded nation’s staunchest allies. Warsaw has delivered giant volumes of weapons and equipment to Kyiv, but in addition pushed for Ukraine’s future accession to the alliance.

Nonetheless, on Feb. 12, two days earlier than Hegseth’s talks in Warsaw, Kosiniak-Kamysz conceded throughout a press convention in Brussels that, as Washington opposes inviting Ukraine to hitch NATO, “there shall be no such invitation.”

In Warsaw, Hegseth praised Poland for persevering with to boost its protection spending, saying the nation was “main by instance on numerous issues.”

“I do wish to emphasize that it’s fairly intentional that our first European bilateral is true right here, in Poland. The symbolism will not be misplaced. In truth, it’s intentional,” Hegseth stated at a joint press convention with Kosiniak-Kamysz. “We see Poland because the mannequin ally on the continent, keen to take a position not simply of their protection, however in our shared protection, and the protection of the continent.”

In 2025, the Polish authorities plans to spend a complete of PLN 186.6 billion ($47.1 billion) on the nation’s navy. This is able to signify a rise of PLN 27.8 billion in contrast with a yr earlier, in response to information launched by the Polish Ministry of Nationwide Defence.

“Europe should spend extra to guard its territory higher. America desires to cooperate, and the USA will do every thing attainable for the alliance to be stronger. However Europe additionally should show its contribution,” Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.

The deputy prime minister additionally stated his nation is getting ready “additional acquisitions in the USA” for its navy.

“We additionally wish to develop the cooperation of our protection industries, we additionally talked about that. Investments in joint ventures, Polish-American investments to extend the capabilities for our manufacturing, particularly the capability to supply ammunition,” Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.

The Polish official gave a nod to his nation’s new fund of round PLN 3 billion ($758 million) to help investments by home and international gamers in increasing the nation’s ammunition manufacturing capacities, with a selected deal with 155 mm artillery shells.

Hegseth replied that Washington is on the lookout for further methods to accentuate the U.S. protection trade’s cooperation with Poland, and talked about quite a few main protection contracts Poland has awarded to the U.S. over the previous years.

“Apaches, F-35s, HIMARS, Patriots, you title it. The extra you might have, the stronger we’re,” he stated. “The extra we will cooperate with these techniques, the extra interoperable our capabilities are, the higher.”

“We’re on the lookout for new methods to associate. You talked about joint ventures, strategic partnerships. We’re open” to such cooperation, Hegseth stated.

Following Duda’s assembly with Hegseth on the identical day, the Polish president’s workplace launched a press release during which it stated native officers are wanting ahead to the forthcoming go to by retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s particular envoy for the battle in Ukraine.

Kellogg is anticipated to go to Poland to debate “the start of significant talks on stopping Russian aggression towards Ukraine,” Duda was quoted within the assertion.