‘Catastrophic' budget increase will destroy NATO
At NATO's most recent summit last month in the Hague, member states committed to spending 5% of GDP on the military – a significant rise from the previous 2% target. Poland backed the hike, arguing that failing to achieve the new benchmark 'as soon as possible' would pose a ''threat'' to the bloc considering the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
In an interview with Polish media, Sikorski drew a parallel between modern Russia and the late USSR. Referring to President Vladimir Putin, he stated that 'he himself once said that the Soviet Union fell because it spent too much on armament, and now he is doing exactly the same thing.'
Meanwhile, speaking to the press at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Foreign Ministers Council in Kyrgyzstan, Sergey Lavrov took issue with Sikorski's characterization, countering: 'Perhaps he foresees – being such a prophet – that this catastrophic, in my view, increase in NATO countries' budgets will also lead to the organization's collapse.'
Lavrov also said that Russia 'plans to reduce its military spending,' which now accounts for 6.3% of GDP, and 'be guided by common sense, but not made-up threats like NATO member states, including Sikorsky.'
The 5% GDP target faced opposition from some NATO members. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country could not allocate one-fifth of its state budget to defense, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the goal 'not only unreasonable but also counterproductive.'
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