Defending Nato’s eastern flank from Russia would cost Poland 24 times its current defence budget, minister warns – Europe live

Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said in a speech to parliament that cost could pass €1.2tn ($1.42 trillion

Continuing his speech, Sikorski also told Polish parliament that while Washington remains Poland’s most important partner in military cooperation and Warsaw has been and will remain a loyal ally of the US, it cannot be “a sucker”.

In a lengthy passage responding to the changing US defence and foreign policy, he said:

“We view the shifts in the US with understanding, but also with unease. We remember the history of support for Poland from presidents like Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan during the various eras when we fought for our independence.

But we also remember Yalta. After the fall of Nazi Germany, president Franklin Roosevelt sought Stalin’s help in the war against Japan. He secured it, but at the expense of freedom for this part of Europe. The American national interest was served; we were the ones who paid the price.