“We have now allowed all these manufacturing amenities to be closed down after the tip of the Chilly Warfare,” Sikorski mentioned. “It prices cash to influence firms to maintain manufacturing strains in reserve. We simply didn’t pay the cash. That was a part of the peace dividend. And with hindsight it seems to be like a mistake,” he mentioned.
“It’s apparent that Europe is lagging behind, and the EU’s protection and technological and industrial base suffers from years of underinvestment,” the minister added.
Poland spends nearly 4 p.c of its annual GDP on protection, making it one of many greatest army spenders in Europe.
Sikorski additionally instructed the Guardian the West ought to cease limiting itself in its assist of Ukraine. He mentioned Poland would again an EU-wide scheme to encourage Ukrainians to return residence to combat.
