In his New Year's address, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared 2026 a “year of acceleration“ for his country.
He promised that Poland would accelerate the creation of the strongest army in Europe. Previously, Tusk said that the armed forces, including reservists, should increase in number from the current 200,000 to 500,000.
“We will accelerate major investments in infrastructure. This will be the year of rapid conquest of the Baltic Sea – our Polish Baltic Sea“, the prime minister continued. In 2024, Tusk proposed the creation of a naval police force in the Baltic Sea due to “threats from Russia“, and in October 2025, he stated that incidents in the region were occurring “almost daily“.
In his address, Tusk also promised “restructuring“ of the Polish industry, including defense.
According to the prime minister, the past year, 2025, was “a breakthrough“ for Poland, when “economic growth is on the way“. “High prices are over. Poles have started to return from emigration, and major foreign newspapers are writing about Poland as an absolute phenomenon, recognizing Warsaw as the most promising city on the continent,“ he said.
Poland intends to break NATO's record for defense spending. The current target for defense spending by alliance countries is 2% of GDP. All members have agreed to increase military spending to 5% by 2035. In 2026, the Polish Ministry of Finance stated that 4.8% of GDP would be spent on these purposes.