Poland will serve as the location for a center facilitating collaboration between NATO and Ukraine.
Poland's defense minister has revealed plans to establish a joint NATO-Ukrainian center for analysis, training, and education in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. This initiative marks the first of its kind between NATO and Ukraine, as highlighted by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz following discussions with NATO counterparts in Brussels. The center aims to gather insights from the conflict in Ukraine and extend support to Kyiv, which remains in a state of conflict.
Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized unanimous support from all NATO member states for the establishment of the center, heralding it as a success for Poland. However, he refrained from specifying a precise timeline for its launch, citing the project's dependence on collective determination.
Furthermore, the minister urged Europe to increase allocations to its defense sector, stressing the need for timely investment in modern armaments. He underscored Poland's commitment to defense spending, with the country already exceeding NATO's 2% GDP threshold, allocating 4.3% of GDP to defense, a portion of which is directed towards modernizing its armed forces.
While Poland's defense expenditure reached 3.9% of GDP in 2023, it is striving to fulfill the 4.3% pledge set forth by the previous government. In addition to the NATO-related developments, Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the revival of defense cooperation within the Weimar Triangle, involving France, Germany, and Poland. The first defense-focused meeting under this framework is scheduled to occur in Poland ahead of the NATO summit in Washington later this year.
Poland's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has been actively advocating for enhanced military capabilities within the EU during recent visits to Paris and Berlin. Ahead of the NATO summit, discussions are slated to take place at the White House, with both Tusk and President Andrzej Duda scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden on March 12th.