Warsaw is backing Donald Trump’s demand for Nato countries to spend 5 per cent of GDP on defence even if it will take 10 years for the alliance’s laggards to reach the target, says the Polish defence minister.

However, a new target is likely to be agreed at a NATO summit in The Hague in June, spurred by fears that Russia may attack a NATO country after Ukraine and by Trump’s exhortations, officials said. The key open questions are what that new target will be and whether it will be enough to satisfy Trump.

Nato asks every member country to spend at least 2% of national income - also known as GDP - on defence. It is thought that 23 countries met that target in 2024, compared to only three in 2014. The countries which spend the largest share of GDP on defence are the US and those close to Russia, such as Poland and the Baltic states.

Poland supports the demand of elected President Donald Trump for NATO countries to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. However, Warsaw believes this will only happen in 10 years, states Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in an interview with the Financial Times.