‘Alarm bells are ringing’: Poland’s president says NATO must urgently ramp up defense spending

• Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday that NATO must urgently ramp up its defense spending to ensure it does not become the next target of Russian aggression.
• Duda reiterated calls to increase NATO's spending target to 3% amid concerns that Moscow may be readying to attack the alliance within the coming years.
• Poland now spends 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense — more than even the U.S.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday that NATO must urgently increase its defense spending to ensure it does not become the next target of a Russian attack.

Speaking to CNBC, Duda reiterated his calls for NATO members to increase their military contributions to 3% amid new reports that Moscow could be readying to target the military alliance within two to three years.

Citing unspecified German research, Duda said new evidence suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is doubling down on his shift toward a war economy with a view to attacking NATO in 2026 or 2027. It follows Danish intelligence reports from February which suggested that Moscow could launch an attack on NATO within three to five years. CNBC was unable to verify the contents of either report.

"The alarm bells are ringing," he told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, according to a translation.

Duda said it was therefore more critical than ever to ramp up the alliance's military investment, describing his increased spending targets as "common sense."

"We have two or three years in which we can increase our efforts, stockpile ammunition and produce weapons to maximize European security, get ready and make sure the invasion does not happen," he said.

"All this needs to be done in order not to have to get involved in a fight. The point is to create such a deterrent