Rubio discussed with Poland the need for NATO allies to boost defense spending

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he met with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington on Friday, where they addressed issues such as “fair and reciprocal market access” and emphasized the urgent need for NATO Allies to enhance their defense investments.

Following the meeting, Rubio shared on the social media platform X that they also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and reiterated the necessity for all NATO members to increase their defense spending without delay. He highlighted that market access reciprocity was another significant topic of their conversation.

When asked about Washington’s negotiation strategies concerning Ukraine, the Polish foreign minister indicated that this was a matter for the U.S. to clarify, but he felt that the United States was dedicated to achieving lasting peace. He refrained from commenting on Rubio’s discussions regarding talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been advocating for a resolution to the Ukraine conflict and recently held separate discussions with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

This week, Trump’s senior officials, including Rubio, engaged in talks with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia, which did not cover the situation in Ukraine. Additionally, Trump referred to Zelenskiy as a dictator on Wednesday and has urged both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to collaborate on ending the war that commenced with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Trump has called for NATO countries to increase their defense budgets. Despite nearly doubling their defense spending since the annexation of Crimea, European nations still average below NATO’s guideline of 2% of GDP. Poland is projected to have the highest defense spending among NATO members, estimated at 4.1% of GDP in 2024, while eight of the alliance’s 32 members are expected to spend less than 2%.