The United States announced on Friday that the government has approved a $4 billion loan guarantee to Poland for the purchase of American military equipment.
The Foreign Military Financing loan brings the total amount of loan support for Poland, which is strategically located on NATO’s eastern flank bordering Ukraine and Russia, to more than $15 billion over the past three years.
“Today’s announcement reaffirms the United States’ commitment to strong bilateral partnerships based on mutual respect, shared investment, and strategic priorities. Working together, the United States and Poland are securing the future of NATO, deterring aggression, and standing firm for freedom, sovereignty, and peace in Europe,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
Over the last few years, Poland has purchased advanced U.S. military equipment, including Apache helicopters, the Airspace and Surface Radar Reconnaissance System, HIMARS rocket systems, and Patriot missile defense.
The FMF loan guarantee program enables U.S. allies to buy American-made military systems, which helps the U.S. defense industrial base and supports American jobs in states such as Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas, where manufacturers are located.
The Trump administration has pushed for the U.S.’s NATO allies to become more self-reliant for defense so the U.S. could focus more on the threat posed by China. President Donald Trump has long believed that NATO allies had taken advantage of the United States.
Last month, every NATO member other than Spain acquiesced to Trump’s demand that the alliance increase defense spending from at least 2% of gross domestic product to 5%. No country reached 5% last year.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with his Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian counterparts at the Pentagon on Friday. The Baltic state defense leaders pledged that each country would meet the 5% target in the coming years.
“The United States remains fully committed to NATO, and together, we’re achieving peace through strength in Europe by setting the conditions for negotiated lasting peace in Ukraine, establishing sustainable deterrence and increasing ally capabilities and interoperability,” Hegseth said.
HEAD OF GOLDEN DOME OFFICE STRESSES THREATS POSED BY CHINA AND RUSSIA
The countries on NATO’s eastern flank have stressed the need to increase their defense spending amid Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and they continue to lead the alliance in defense spending.
