The FT report follows calls from Polish President Andrzej Duda, who recently urged NATO member countries to increase their defense expenditure to 3% of GDP.

Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s head of state, has told FT that “European countries needed to return to ‘cold war-era spending’ levels and should discuss the return of compulsory military service to boost defense forces’ manpower… There is a need for serious discussion about conscription.”

Nobody wants to fight. But the problem is nobody wants to be invaded as well. And nobody wants to see Ukraine happening here.
My interview with @hallbenjamin and @rmilneNordic @FT

Baltic leaders urge Nato members to bring back conscription https://t.co/lzxFiE9AfC via @ft

— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) March 25, 2024

The FT report follows hard on the heels of the violation of Polish airspace by a suspected Russian cruise missile.

On Sunday, the Armed Forces Operational Command (DO RSZ) reported that “on March 24 this year at 4:23 a.m., there was a violation of Polish airspace by one of the cruise missiles launched by the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation. The targets of the strikes were localities in western Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Karis, Estonia’s head of state, told FT in a separate interview that “a special tax to fund military purchases was worth considering, while Europe should aim to match U.S. defense spending at a minimum—implying a more than doubling of current levels.”

Nobody wants to fight. But the problem is nobody wants to be invaded as well. And nobody wants to see Ukraine happening here.
My interview with @hallbenjamin and @rmilneNordic @FT

Baltic leaders urge Nato members to bring back conscription https://t.co/lzxFiE9AfC via @ft

— Edgars Rinkēvičs (@edgarsrinkevics) March 25, 2024