Polish, Finnish presidents stress US alliance, defense spending rise

Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Wednesday stressed Poland's growing military capacity and its role in NATO's eastern flank, pointing to increased defense spending and the presence of US forces in the country.

"We have the biggest army in East Central Europe. Poland increased percent of GDP for military service almost to 5% so we feel responsible for Poland," said Nawrocki at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"You know, we have 10,000 American soldiers in Poland. We buy American military equipment, which is the best on the world. South Korean is also very good," he said.

He stressed that the US remains a crucial ally for Poland and for NATO's eastern flank, describing bilateral ties as rooted in shared history and values.

"But United States of America, for all, eastern flank of NATO are very important ally, and those relations are also based on our history. This is the relation of values. We have common independence heroes in Poland and the United States of America," he said.

Nawrocki said Poland relies first and foremost on its own armed forces to defend its sovereignty.

"I understand your question, but I would like to assure you that our Polish independence and sovereignty is very strong," he added.

He also referred to pressure from US President Donald Trump on European countries to increase defense spending, noting that many EU members still fall short.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb described the current phase as "NATO 3.0," highlighting Finland's conscription system, Arctic military capabilities, and ability to mobilize 280,000 troops within weeks.

"Can Europe defend itself? My answer is unequivocally yes," Stubb added.

On transatlantic relations, Stubb said communication with the US administration is "direct and solid," highlighting the need to focus on Arctic security.

- Diplomacy on Greenland

On Greenland, which they says it wants to acquire for national security, Nawrocki said Poland recognizes the sensitivities of the issue but considers it part of a broader global security equation.

"But we, of course, recognize some problems about Greenland. And I'm looking at the problem of Greenland from the strategic side. We have Chinese, we have Russia. We feel Russian threat in Poland for three centuries," he said.

Asked how far Europe should go to preserve relations with the US in the context of Greenland, Nawrocki said the issue should be handled through diplomacy, while acknowledging Denmark's position.

Stubb said there are "two schools of thought: to escalate or to escalate to de-escalate," saying "I think at the end of the day we'll find an off ramp on this."

Regarding Russia, he called the war in Ukraine an "utter strategic failure" for President Vladimir Putin, saying Moscow's military gains came at a high cost while NATO grew stronger, Ukraine became more European, and European defense budgets increased.