Poland is considering utilizing national resources to bolster its defense capabilities as disagreements arise over European Union funding initiatives.
Successive Polish governments have increased defense spending following Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.
However, while the liberal government of Donald Tusk seeks coordinated efforts with the European Union (EU), the nation’s nationalist president has proven more Eurosceptic and maintains a friendly relationship with Donald Trump. This divergence in approach is creating friction within Polish politics and impacting defense strategy.
Since assuming office in 2025, President Andrzej Duda’s ally, Tomasz Nawrocki, has positioned himself as a key opponent to Prime Minister Tusk, vetoing several of his proposed laws.
Poland was slated to be a primary beneficiary of the EU’s €150 billion loan program, SAFE – Security Action for Europe – designed to develop the European defense industry.
The government had prepared a list of 139 projects, with 30 specifically aimed at reinforcing its eastern borders, and pledged that 80% of the funds would go to Polish companies. This initiative aimed to strengthen Poland’s defense industrial base and create economic opportunities.
Nawrocki and the leading opposition party supporting him, the nationalist and conservative Law and Justice (PiS), have criticized Poland’s participation in SAFE. The debate highlights the complex geopolitical considerations influencing Poland’s defense policy.
They argue the funding comes with conditions that would increase Poland’s dependence on Germany and encourage procurement from European producers at the expense of American suppliers. This concern reflects a broader anxiety about maintaining strategic autonomy.
“Polish independence is priceless,” said PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński in February. “What they are proposing to us is a Poland under the German boot, and we reject this German boot.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassadors to the EU and NATO, Andrew Puzder and Matthew Whitaker, respectively, have already criticized initiatives like SAFE and the European Defence Industry Programme for restricting access to the market for American companies and, “undermining collective defense.” These statements underscore the U.S.’s interest in maintaining its role as a key defense supplier to Europe.
