Polish leader in B.C., tells allies to step up
VANCOUVER — Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including Canada, must raise defence spending to three per cent of GDP to deter Russia’s war in Ukraine from spreading, Poland’s president said in Vancouver on Friday.
Andrzej Duda made the comments at a speech a day ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
While not saying Canada by name, Duda said the West has “a lot of gaps” in its industrial base to produce military aid for Ukraine in its defence against Russia, a problem that must be resolved if Moscow’s threats are to be deterred.
Duda said he first broached the idea of NATO members boosting defence spending from two per cent to three per cent of GDP during a visit to the United States in March, and will again push the topic during a NATO summit in Washington, D.C., in July.
In 2022, Canada spent 1.2 per cent of its GDP on its military. The last time it was at two per cent was 1990.
Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, has boosted its defence spending to four per cent of GDP and has been one of the top military aid providers to Ukraine.
Duda said Baltic and Eastern European countries near the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict need support in backing Ukraine and he called for other allies to help bring about “a clear military loss” for Moscow.
“They understand exclusively this very language,” Duda said. “Regrettably, they don’t care much for Western sanctions and for declining living standards.”
When asked what Canada can do to support Poland in its efforts, Duda recounted a conversation with Trudeau about a week before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out.
He said Trudeau was worried about Poland’s “tough policy” against illegal migration and its possible impact if Ukrainian refugees flooded Polish borders during a war.
The Polish leader said both its policy against illegal migration and the subsequent opening of borders to Ukrainian refugees reflect a common principle that Poland has an obligation to its allies and partners.
“You should remember that we have responsibility for the border of the European Union and Schengen zone,” said Duda, referring to the border area around the European Union.
“We have to protect this border not only in our own interest but also in the interest according to European obligations.”
Duda added Poland believes Russia would move westward if Ukraine falls, with the Baltic states and Poland in its immediate path, and while Poland is prepared, it doesn’t negate the need for others in NATO to also prepare. “Unfortunately, yes, we are ready,” he said. “But we also realize that we have to strengthen our military capabilities.
“We need new tanks in state-of-the-art technology. We need new howitzers. We need new helicopters … what we buy from the United States, from American industry, from South Korean industry [is] because we need it.”
Duda arrived in Canada from the United States, where he met earlier this week with former U.S. president Donald Trump in New York in what the Polish leader described as a “friendly meeting in very nice atmosphere.”
Funding aimed at providing more aid to Ukraine in the U.S. had been held up by Trump allies in Congress.
With rare bipartisan momentum, the U.S. House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion US for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support as a robust coalition of lawmakers helped it clear a procedural hurdle to reach final votes this weekend.
Friday’s vote produced a seldom-seen outcome in the typically hyper-partisan House, with Democrats helping Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan advance overwhelmingly 316-94.
Final House approval could come this weekend, when the package would be sent to the Senate.
It was a victory for the strategy Johnson set in motion this week after he agonized for two months over the legislation.
Still, Johnson has had to spend the past 24 hours making the rounds on conservative media working to salvage support for the wartime funding, particularly for Ukraine as it faces a critical moment battling Russia, but also for his own job as the effort to remove him as speaker grew.
“Ukrainians desperately need lethal aid right now. We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to roll through another country and take it,” Johnson told the conservative host of The Mark Levin Show about the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine. “These are very serious matters with global implications.”
Johnson said after the vote that while it wasn’t “perfect legislation,” it was the “best possible product” Republicans can get given their thin majority in one chamber of Congress.
After months of delay, the House worked slowly but deliberately once Johnson made up his mind this week to plough ahead with a package that matches, with a few alterations, what the Senate passed in February.
President Joe Biden sent a swift endorsement of the speaker’s plan and, in a rare moment, Donald Trump, the Republican presumed presidential nominee who opposes most overseas aid for Ukraine, has not derailed the speaker’s work.
“The world is watching what the Congress does,” the White House said in a statement.
“Passing this legislation would send a powerful message about the strength of American leadership at a pivotal moment.”
In an extremely rare step, the members of the House Rules Committee joined forces late Thursday in a near midnight vote, the four Democrats giving their support on a procedural step, to push past the Republican majority’s three hardline holdouts to send the package to the House floor for debate on a 9-3 vote. It was a moment unseen in recent House memory.
Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said that he spoke with Johnson on Thursday night to ensure the bill would clear the Rules Committee.
“It’s long past time that we support our democratic allies,” Jeffries said after the vote.
“House Democrats have once again cleared the way for legislation that’s important to the American people.”