At the Pentagon on April 20 for a meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said his country will increase its defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product, David Vergun, of U.S. DoD, reports. Blaszczak said the increase will begin next year. He also recalled that Poland signed an agreement to acquire 250 M1A2 SEPV3 Abrams tanks from the United States earlier this month.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosts Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak for talks at the Pentagon on April 20, 2022 (Picture source: U.S. DoD/Lisa Ferdinando)

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said he's grateful for the U.S. engagement and commitment in solidifying the allied posture against Russia's aggression in Ukraine, as well as strengthening NATO's eastern flank, including deployment of additional troops to Poland: "With great concern, we're observing everyday Russian attacks in Ukraine. I trust that Russia will be held accountable for all its war crimes", Blaszczak said.

Austin thanked Blaszczak for providing security assistance to the Ukrainian military and facilitating the delivery of security assistance from the United States and other NATO allies and partners from around the globe. Austin said he's looking forward to discussing the ways in which the U.S. Defense Department can further strengthen its close, military-to-military alliance with Poland.

The Polish Ministry of Defense tweeted on April 20: "We are talking today in the Pentagon about further deliveries of HIMARS missiles and about more squadrons of multi-purpose combat aircraft. Soon we will talk about attack helicopters, unmanned aircraft, which is all that is needed to strengthen the Polish defence system".