In White House visit, Polish president pushes NATO to ramp up spending, calls on US to fund Ukraine

By VANESSA GERA, AAMER MADHANI and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Perss

WASHINGTON (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda used a joint White House visit with his political rival, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, to call on NATO allies to significantly increase defense spending. The leaders on Tuesday also urged a divided Washington to break its impasse over replenishing funds for Ukraine at a critical moment in the war in Europe. Duda wants members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their GDP as Russia puts its own economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its plans to conquer Ukraine. Poland already spends 4% of its own economic output on defense, double the current target of 2% for NATO nations.