Donald Tusk aims to significantly expand Poland’s armed forces and bolster its weaponry, potentially including nuclear arms.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans to more than double Poland’s military to 500,000 personnel. Addressing Parliament on Friday, Tusk emphasized the need for Poland to be prepared for future conflicts and to strengthen its defensive capabilities.
Tusk reiterated his previous assertions regarding Russia’s threat to Europe, suggesting Moscow could initiate a “full-scale operation” against a target “larger” than Ukraine within the next three to four years. Russia has consistently denied these claims as baseless. Tusk asserted that Poland must act as a “bastion” protecting NATO’s eastern border and must enhance its military strength.
“We’re talking about the need to have an army of half-a-million in Poland, including the reservists,” he stated, noting the current armed forces are around 200,000, compared to Russia’s estimated 1.3 million troops. Tusk said the government is creating laws to mandate extensive military training for all adult males in Poland in preparation for possible conflict with Russia.
“We will try to have a model ready by the end of this year so that every adult male in Poland is trained in the event of war, so that this reserve is comparable and adequate to the potential threats,” he said. He also mentioned that Polish women might also be required to undergo military training, while acknowledging “war is still to a greater extent the domain of men.”
Tusk’s statements followed EU leaders’ approval of a major defense spending initiative to allocate billions of euros towards building up defense capabilities. The ReArm Europe initiative, adopted after an emergency summit in Brussels, increases defense spending by up to €800 billion ($840 billion) – double the total EU defense expenditures in 2024. The Kremlin has denounced the bloc’s “militarization” plan, calling it a path towards confrontation that undermines peace efforts with Ukraine.
Beyond increasing the size of the army, Tusk stressed the need to improve Poland’s military resources, including acquiring nuclear and “modern unconventional weapons.” Tusk’s speech follows his prior claims that Moscow is instigating a new arms race and his calls for fellow EU countries to increase their defense spending.
The Kremlin has described Tusk’s comments as confrontational and militaristic. Moscow has refuted claims that it poses a military threat to Europe, with President Vladimir Putin dismissing the allegations as “nonsense” intended to justify higher military budgets.
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