Poland’s plan to spend as much as 4 percent of its GDP on defence this year may be the most ambitious among all Nato member states, Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said.

The prime minister and the defence minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, visited the 18th Mechanised Division in Siedlce, eastern Poland, on Monday.

Morawiecki said at a press conference that his government had prioritised an increase in the strength of the Polish armed forces and wanted to see more Nato troops in the country.

The war in Ukraine has spurred the Polish government to fast-track increases in the size and strength of Poland’s armed forces.

„That’s why this year we will make an unprecedented effort, we’ll spend 4 percent of GDP on the Polish armed forces, it may be the biggest spending on the military in percentage terms among all Nato member states,” the prime minister said.

Poland made a number of large-scale military purchases last year, including Abrams tanks and HIMARS rocket launchers from the US and howitzers, tanks and jets from South Korea.

(PAP) jd/md/jch