There is a “high probability” that Russia will move against other countries in Europe – possibly even NATO allies – if it can defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Sunday.
His prediction came the day after the House of Representatives passed a $95 billion foreign aid package, which includes $60 billion in new aid to Ukraine. The aid package is expected to be approved by the Senate and President Biden has said he will move quickly to get weapons and ammunition flowing to Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has warned that his country could lose the war without help.
“This is the insatiable Russian imperialism,” Mr. Duda said on the Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program. “It is indispensable to make sure that Ukrainians can defend themselves.”
NATO currently sets defense spending for its members at 2% of GDP, but Mr. Duda said the total should be pushed up to 3%. He acknowledged that military rearmament across Europe evokes memories of the Cold War for some people.
“There is no other way. Defense spending has to be increased, right now,” he said. “Just as it was in the times of the Cold War, this is the way to keep peace in Europe and the way to stop Russian imperialism.”
Mr. Duda said Poland spends more than 4% of its GDP on defense, with much of it going for the purchase of U.S.-made weapons, such as the Patriot missile system. Polish Air Force pilots are in the U.S. and learning how to fly their just-purchased F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.
“We are really delighted with it,” he said.