Tusk: Increasing Defence Production Is An Absolute Priority

Wires reporting that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking in Berlin, has told reporters that, "increasing defence production is an absolute priority."

• Tusk: "Poland and Germany must take joint responsibility for mobilising Europe to increase defence capabilities... we want to improve Europe's air defence capabilities."
• Tusk's comments come in the wake of widely reported remarks from former US President Donald Trump appearing to suggest that he would refuse to defend NATO countries from a Russian attack if they have not met the 2% of GDP funding benchmark for the alliance, if he wins a second term in November.
• Tusk added: "Regardless of what Trump says it is in our joint interest that NATO countries increase defence spending."
• The New York Times noted: “If Trump’s statement is to be believed, his potential re-election this year may fundamentally alter the world order.”
• Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote in a statement on X yesterday: “No election campaign is an excuse for playing with the security of the Alliance.” Euractiv has a roundup of the reaction from NATO leaders here.
• Politico notes that, “during a private meeting in 2020, Trump told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, ‘You need to understand that if Europe is under attack we will never come to help you and to support you.’”
• Trump's comments are likely to figure prominently on the agenda of the Munich Security Conference which gets underway on Thursday.