Poland tells US it won’t be a ‘sucker’ as Trump reshapes Nato

The ⁠US remains Poland’s most ⁠important partner in military ⁠cooperation and Warsaw has been and will remain a loyal ally, but it can’t be a “sucker”, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a speech to parliament on Thursday.His comments reflect the ‌delicate balancing act that Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government must perform in maintaining the strong transatlantic bond they see as crucial for national security at a time when US President Donald Trump is upending old certainties about European security.“We look at the changes in the ⁠US with understanding, but also concern,” Sikorski told lawmakers. “We have been and will continue to ‌be a loyal ally of America. But we cannot be suckers.”Sikorski called for Europe to assume more responsibility for ‌its security and underlined the role of European unity.“The threat to ⁠the sovereignty and ⁠security of the Republic of Poland comes from one direction – from the east, not the West … The ‌hour has struck for Europe. Either we stand united, or we will be consumed by greater ‌powers.”Defending ‌NATO’s eastern flank against a possible Russian aggression would cost at ‌least 1.2 trillion euros (US$1.4 trillion), 24 times more than Poland’s defence budget, Sikorski said, ⁠suggesting that current financial and military aid provided to Ukraine was far less ⁠than the likely cost of any potential war between Russia and the Atlantic alliance.