Why Poland is Critical – For Ukraine and Europe’s Defense

EXPERT INTERVIEWS – Sunday’s presidential election in Poland, and the country’s growing role in NATO, have put a fresh focus on Poland as a critical part of European efforts to defend the continent against Russian aggression.

Other than Ukraine itself, no other European country have been as directly affected by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Poland has taken the highest number of Ukrainian refugees by far; overall, nearly nine million have crossed into Poland, and three years into the war, roughly one million Ukrainian refugees remain there. Recently, Poland has pledged to boost military spending – despite the fact that it already spends more as a percentage of GDP than any NATO nation (Estonia and the U.S. rank second and third). Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to double the size of the military, including reservists; and he and other Polish officials have suggested recently that the country consider positioning nuclear weapons on Polish soil.