The US will lend Poland an additional $2 billion (8.1 billion zloty) to fund the purchase of American air and missile defence systems, the Polish defence ministry has announced.

The agreement – which represents the second such loan to Poland under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme following one in September last year – was described by Poland’s defence ministry as “an expression of the continuously developing strategic relationship between Poland and the US.” 

It notes that such loans are available “only to selected US allies with whom the United States maintains close defence cooperation” and describes the terms as “very favourable”, though without revealing the details.

The air and missile defence systems to be purchased through the agreement “are a priority for the Polish armed forces under current threats”, the ministry emphasised.

In February, Poland signed a $2.5 billion deal with the US for an advanced air defence system, and the US State Department also approved the $1.2 billion sale to Poland of four radar reconnaissance airships capable of detecting airborne targets. 

These purchases were the latest in a significant procurement spree – mainly from the US and South Korea – embarked upon by Poland following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both last year and this year, Poland is NATO’s highest relative spender on defence, devoting the equivalent of around 4% of GDP.

Image: X (@Polska_Zbrojna)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen