Poland in the OECD

Decisions taken at the Summit focused on strengthening Allied collective defence against the Russian threat and on NATO’s support for Ukraine. The Washington Summit was the first summit for Sweden as a full Ally.

During the talks, the Allies and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed further steps to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities and noted the progress on Kyiv’s path towards integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. The Allies also spoke to the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, as well as President of the European Council Charles Michel and EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell on possible joint action in response to the threats and challenges to the international order posed by the actions of Russia and its allies.

Minister Radosław Sikorski also took part, together with the President of the Republic of Poland, in a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty, which established the North Atlantic Alliance. The meeting was an opportunity to highlight the durability of Allied joint defence commitments and NATO’s unity and strength in the face of growing threats and challenges to the security of its members.

Poland’s chief diplomat also attended a gala dinner hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for foreign ministers of NATO countries and Alliance partner states. It marked the importance of Allied relations with non-NATO countries in strengthening common security. 

While in Washington, the head of Polish diplomacy spoke at the NATO Public Forum, as part of a panel discussion on European security and the war in Ukraine. He discussed the situation on the warfront in Ukraine and the extent of practical support from Western countries for Kyiv’s defence effort. In the context of Russian threats to Europe’s security, Minister Sikorski emphasised the need to invest in defence and outlined the scale of Polish defence spending. “We spend over 4% of GDP on defence, with the 14th largest defence budget in the world, and we will go further next year,” Minister Sikorski said, announcing continued increase in Poland's investment in the defence sector.

On the sidelines of the Summit, Radosław Sikorski met with his counterparts from Albania, Minister Igli Hasani, the Netherlands, Minister Caspar Veldkamp, Slovakia, Minister Juraj Blanár, the United States, Secretary Antony Blinken, and the Republic of Korea, Cho Tae-yul, for talks on key issues on the bilateral cooperation agenda.