President Andrzej Duda of Poland has issued a stark warning to NATO allies, underlining both the enduring unity of the Alliance and the persistent threat posed by a revisionist Russia.
Speaking ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Duda left no room for doubt: “There is absolutely no discussion over Article 5.” In other words, the mutual defence clause at the heart of NATO remains sacrosanct.
His remarks come amid growing anxiety in Eastern Europe that the security order built over the past three decades is now under sustained assault.
As the war in Ukraine grinds on into its third year, Duda is clear-eyed about the implications. Russia, he says, may be “exhausted” by its aggression, but it is far from finished. “I don’t expect that Russia is ready to attack another country now, but in the future, it’s a real risk.”
For Poland, situated on NATO’s eastern frontier, such warnings are not rhetorical flourishes but matters of immediate concern. The president’s words reflect a long-standing Polish conviction that Western complacency has been Moscow’s greatest ally. Duda has long championed the need for greater defence spending across the Alliance, and now, at last, the tide appears to be turning.
“Everything indicates that there is unity between NATO countries, especially on that most important issue of increasing spending,” he says. With Germany belatedly pledging to meet the 2 per cent GDP benchmark and other European states following suit, Duda believes the Alliance is finally aligning with the threats it faces.
Yet for Warsaw, money alone is not the answer. Duda pointed to the need to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank, stretching from the Baltics to the Black Sea. “It’s not enough to just talk about deterrence,” one Polish official confided. “There must be credible capabilities in place.” That means troops, armour, air defences, and above all—willpower.
Duda also highlighted a less discussed but increasingly vital area: energy infrastructure. “We need to extend strategic pipelines across Europe,” he said. The logic is simple. A continent dependent on Russian gas is a continent vulnerable to blackmail. Poland, which has weaned itself off Russian energy since 2022, now sees energy independence as a pillar of national security.
Still, Duda is not blind to political tensions within the Alliance—especially across the Atlantic. Questions persist about what a second Donald Trump presidency might mean for NATO, particularly after the former president’s erratic statements during his first term. But Duda offered a robust defence of Trump’s record, calling the US presidency “the strongest position in the alliance” and praising Trump’s leadership during his tenure.
“Whatever the rhetoric,” a senior Polish diplomat said, “President Trump’s administration provided us with Patriot missiles and US troops on the ground. That matters more than tweets.”
Indeed, for all the speculation about cracks within NATO, Duda is adamant that the alliance remains fundamentally sound. Its two pillars, he says, are unity and Article 5. “There is absolutely no discussion over it,” he repeats, echoing Warsaw’s longstanding insistence that collective defence is not up for negotiation.
This resolve is matched by a continued commitment to Ukraine. Though battlefield fatigue has set in among some Western capitals, Poland has remained a steadfast supporter of Kyiv. “Continued support for Ukraine is essential,” Duda said, framing the war not just as a regional conflict, but a test of the West’s strategic patience and moral clarity.
Privately, Polish officials express concern that some NATO members may be tempted to push for a ceasefire that rewards Russian territorial gains. “Any freeze would simply give Moscow time to rearm,” warned one military advisor. “We’ve seen this playbook before—in Georgia, in Crimea. It cannot be allowed to work again.”
In Warsaw’s view, NATO is now entering a long-term confrontation with Moscow that demands sustained vigilance. That means not just more money, but a cultural shift in how Europe views its own security. Gone are the days when defence was an afterthought. Today, it is once again a defining feature of statecraft.
For President Duda, the lesson of Ukraine is simple: weakness invites aggression, and unity deters it. His message to NATO could not be clearer—prepare now, or pay dearly later.
