During the opening session of the Bucharest Nine (B9) summit in the Latvian capital of Riga, Duda said that the Kremlin is ready to use all available forces to achieve its imperialistic ambitions and that its economy is currently operating in wartime mode.

He said that Western nations should also look to increase their defense spending in order to face this Russian threat.

Duda said: “War reminds us that Russia is ready to use all available forces and means, including military ones, to achieve its almost imperial goals.

“We should also increase our defense spending. This is a natural step to increase our own defense capabilities,” he added.

The Polish head of state has repeatedly advocated raising the threshold for defense spending among NATO countries to at least 3% of GDP.

During his speech, Duda pointed out the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and “two new allies [Sweden and Finland—TVP World],” assessing that this is a clear sign that “the Alliance is a vital guarantor...of the defense of our territory.”

“We are determined to expand the area of security and stability,” he emphasized.

The president stressed that the Bucharest Nine (B9) is perceived as the voice of the eastern flank of NATO, and this voice must be heard before the upcoming Alliance summit in Washington.

The Bucharest Nine (B9) group of former Warsaw Pact countries was formed in 2015 and holds regular meetings of the leaders, foreign and defense ministers of its members: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.