WARSAW
Poland’s prime minister said Monday that Europe needs to wake from its slumber and reclaim its political and military might.
“Europe can no longer be a political dwarf and a military worm,” Donald Tusk said in the Netherlands during celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, in which Polish and other Allied forces played a major role.
“I am from a generation that did not experience war, but I grew up in the shadow of the ruins of Gdansk, a city destroyed in 1945. The collective memory of Poles still bears the scars of WWII,” he said.
“Let us not turn our eyes away from the resurgent evil. Just like 80 years ago, today too only the unity and solidarity of nations can defeat it. In the face of the threat from Russia, we must strengthen European and transatlantic ties,” he appealed.
Poland is the leading defense spender in NATO and plans to raise its spending to over 4% of GDP. It has long had cross-party support for Ukraine and been vociferous in its antipathy towards the Russian government under President Vladimir Putin.
"The time for a carefree Europe has come to an end. The time has come to mobilize around our values and security. We have built a community against war and violence, we must remain strong and determined to defend it,” he explained. “We must be as brave and strong as the Polish soldiers who fought for freedom 80 years ago. We owe it to them,” he said.
Since Trump came to power this year, EU member states have been discussing new security and defense frameworks, including boosting the continent’s arms production capacity and collective military forces.