Polish Prime Minister Says Trump’s 5 Percent Target for NATO Should Be Welcomed

Donald Tusk told the European Parliament: ‘Only an ally can wish another ally to get stronger. This is not what an opponent of Europe would say.’

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk gestures during a press statement in Berlin on March 15, 2024. Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that Europe should welcome U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for NATO members to increase their military spending rather than reject it.

“We shouldn’t be irritated. We shouldn’t be appalled,” Tusk told members of the European Parliament in Brussels on Jan. 22.