On Monday, May 26, 2025, a press conference was held at the 1st Airlift Base in Warsaw with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, ahead of his departure to the United States, where he is scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It is worth recalling that the head of the U.S. Department of Defense visited Poland earlier this year, on February 14–15.
Photos: Polish Ministry Of National Defence
“We are building the best possible Polish-American relations. This is our foundation, our cornerstone. The presence of American troops in Poland, their capabilities, ongoing procurement, information exchange, and the strengthening of our cyber forces — all of this is happening continuously. (…) Today, together with Minister Zalewski and the entire team, we are heading to meetings at the Pentagon, including a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, to discuss Poland’s security, the future of NATO, defense spending, the modernization of our armed forces, the contracts we’ve already signed and those still being finalized. We will also talk about support for Ukraine and the pursuit of a just peace for our neighbor,” said the Minister of National Defence before his departure to the U.S.
“Nearly 5% this year. What is President Trump talking about? Precisely this direction. Since we took office, we’ve increased these expenditures significantly. (…) It’s clear that this is resonating strongly in the United States, where we are being held up as an example of solidarity, but also of major investments in the security of the Polish state and allied relations. We also received thanks for the participation of Polish soldiers in the rescue mission in Lithuania, where American soldiers were injured and ultimately died. Poland was the first to respond. The Secretary of Defense sent official thanks to us, to the Polish Armed Forces, to Poland,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
“We will be discussing very specific matters related to strengthening the capabilities of our armed forces. I have already spoken about this earlier with, among others, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense. We will address formal and procedural facilitations related to the transfer of American technology to Poland. The Prime Minister has emphasized how important issues related to American investments are,” said Paweł Zalewski, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence.
The Minister of National Defence also announced that during the visit to the United States, the Polish delegation would meet with a veteran who took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino.
“A week ago, I was at Monte Cassino, where I laid flowers on our behalf to mark another anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino. I will have the opportunity to decorate a remarkable veteran and thank him for this great mission. We remember our veterans not only in Poland — with Veterans Day coming up soon, which we will celebrate this Thursday in Gdynia — but also those who are beyond our country’s borders,” said the Minister of National Defence during the press conference.
Poland, as one of the few NATO countries, is already planning defense, modernization, and military transformation spending at a level close to 5% of GDP — currently at 4.7%. In the 2025 budget, a record amount of 124.3 billion PLN has been allocated for national defense (including increases in professional soldiers’ salaries). Compared to 2024, this represents an increase of 6.2 billion PLN. Including expenditures from the Armed Forces Support Fund (FWSZ), total defense spending in 2025 will reach 186.6 billion PLN — 27.8 billion PLN more than planned the previous year.
Polska kluczowym sojusznikiem USA w Europie, a więzi polsko-amerykańskie z dnia na dzień się umacniają
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Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz przed wylotem do USA 🇺🇸i spotkaniami w Pentagonie: Budujemy jak najlepsze relacje polsko-amerykańskie. To jest dla nas fundament, to jest… pic.twitter.com/dqukfHyGtB— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 26, 2025
Rozpoczynamy ważną wizytę w Stanach Zjednoczonych 🇺🇸. Przed nami spotkanie z sekretarzem obrony @SecDef @PeteHegseth oraz rozmowy o wzmocnieniu współpracy wojskowej, obecności sił sojuszniczych w Polsce, rozwoju wspólnych projektów obronnych oraz działaniach odstraszających na… pic.twitter.com/TJl3zadcjt
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) May 26, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: Ruszamy z panem ministrem Zalewskim, całym zespołem na rozmowy o bezpieczeństwie Polski, o przyszłości NATO, o wydatkach na zbrojenia, a także o kontraktach, które zawarliśmy i te, które cały czas zawieramy. Będziemy rozmawiać o pomocy dla Ukrainy,…
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 26, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz: Sekretarz obrony USA zawsze wymienia jako przykład Polskę w kontekście dużych nakładów na obronność. Jesteśmy przykładem w NATO. Zacieśniamy nasze relacje z USA. Polska, rząd ma bardzo dobre relacje z USA, a nasz sojusz się umacnia. (…) Spotkamy…
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 26, 2025
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz przed wylotem do USA🇺🇸, gdzie spotka się z sekretarzem obrony USA Pete'm Heghseth'em: Sojusz polsko-amerykański to fundament naszego bezpieczeństwa. Dziś ruszamy do USA na spotkania w Pentagonie. Będziemy rozmawiać o naszej współpracy, modernizacji… pic.twitter.com/iNuicmU5AZ
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) May 26, 2025