Poland, a rising defence superpower, has told Britain to increase its defence spending or risk global irrelevance.
Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister, has urged the UK Government to publish a robust defence plan at Nato’s upcoming summit in Ankara, Turkey.
He said: “If you want to be a global player, you need to back up your diplomacy with force.
“Either you pay for it or it will wane.
“Britain has unique convening power, a global outlook, first-class intelligence and all that.
“But, when push comes to shove, you either have the ships to send to the Gulf or the brigades to deploy to Ukraine, or you don’t,” he added.
The UK Government is yet to publish the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), which was due to be made public in Autumn last year.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said on Monday the Government is planning to publish the Dip before July 7.
Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s foreign minister lived in the UK for a number of years, holding British citizenship until 2006
| GETTY
Britain is bracing for questions over its defence investment and commitments at the Nato summit in Turkey – a situation which has been made more complex by Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation on Monday.
The lack of Britain’s defence preparedness has sent alarm bells ringing throughout Europe’s Governments, with Mr Sikorski’s criticisms reflecting a growing sentiment the UK is a dwindling military power.
Mr Sikorski, an Oxford-educated Anglophile, has seen his country become Nato’s fastest growing military power.
Poland has more than doubled its defence spending since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
