Europe must switch to 'war-mode' defence production, Polish defence minister says

Poland’s Minister of National Defence and Deputy Prime Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said Europe must adopt a “war-mode” mentality in its defence sector or risk harming Europeans in the future.

“I am actually an advocate for the war-mode when it comes to the production in defence sector,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the Warsaw Security Forum on Wednesday.

“This is what the Russian Federation does at the moment. We cannot overlook this fact.”

Russia shifted towards wartime defence production before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and is projected to spend 7.5% of its gross domestic product on its armed forces in 2026.

In 2025, Russia produced roughly seven million artillery, mortar, tank and rocket rounds, according to a recent Estonian intelligence report. Russian forces currently use roughly 10,000 to 15,000 rounds per day in their continued aggression against Ukraine.

In contrast, Europe’s defence industry has been shaped by decades of underinvestment and fragmentation.

Russia is outpacing the EU in ammunition production, with the 27 member states and Norway expected to produce just two million 150mm ammunition shells this year, according to a leaked report on Europe’s defence readiness.

Rearmament efforts by European countries and NATO members have driven the strongest annual increase in defence spending since the Cold War. Despite this, EU member states’ total defence spending in 2025 was estimated at €418 billion, or 2.2% of EU's total GDP, the report states.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said the “time has come” for Europe to prepare to defend itself by multiplying its defence production.

Failure to do so would be a “costly” mistake for Europeans, he warned, adding: “It's one of the disadvantages, but also it will impact (and) affect us negatively in future generations.”

Poland is among the biggest spenders of its GDP on defence capabilities, spending 4.7% on core defence capabilities, according to the US envoy to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.