"Other countries should follow the example of Poland," Terras said on Tuesday morning's "Terevisioon" during a discussion about Poland's decision to double its armed forces and invest in weapons.

The MEP pointed out that for the past eight years, Polish governments have been working hard to significantly increase the country's defense capabilities. As a result, defense spending has almost doubled to 3.8 percent of GDP, which is approximately €30 billion a year.

"They're doing coastal defense, they're doing very strong air defense, they're getting drones based on the experience of the war in Ukraine, they're really developing a full defense capability in all directions, preparing to defend themselves," said the retired general.

"These numbers are quite impressive for us, of course – up to six divisions, over 1,600 tanks, 200 HIMARS, and just as many more from South Korea with similar systems. So Poland will certainly change and is already one of the strongest military powers in NATO," he said. "If everything that is planned there today is fulfilled, then the Polish army will be bigger than the German, French, UK and Italian armies combined."

"Poland's plans today are to double the size of its army to 300,000 men and equip it with the most modern weaponry. Poland is certainly one of the guarantees of NATO security in a situation where time and again we hear signals from the United States that the Americans are not very willing to commit. Nobody can blame Poland for not investing in its national defense," he said.

The country has become the regional military leader, Terras said. It is also interested in defense cooperation, he added.

"They have been very open to cooperation. The relationship between the Estonian and Polish defense forces has been very good for decades, in fact since the last republic, and the Poles have always come to exercises when they have been invited. I remember when I was still the chief of the Defense Forces, I phoned the chief of the Polish Defense Forces, and the Poles immediately sent air defense systems, coastal defense systems to Estonia for the Spring Storm exercises," he recalled.

The veteran general also highlighted the Polish government chose not to focus on domestic arms production, instead preferring to buy what was available on the international market.

"If they can't get it from America, they'll order it from South Korea, creating competition, the Americans will make an effort to sell more to the Poles," he said.

Bigger countries lag behind

Commenting on European powers' defense budgets and armed forces development, Terras said they lag behind Poland.

"Well, indeed, the German Chancellor came out on February 27, 2022 with what he called a great historic turnaround, 100 billion to be invested over the next four years, but it's now somehow been scaled down over the next couple of years so that there's not that kind of junk in there anymore," Terras said.

"The French talk the talk but do not invest, he said. Speaking about the British, he said: "The army is on the verge of bankruptcy, we see that in their dealings with us, they are trying to put all their money here, there is nothing at home."

"Perhaps it is precisely these adult European countries that should be doing much more to raise the overall level of defense in Europe as the Americans reduce their involvement," the MEP said.

Commenting on former U.S. president and potential U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent NATO comments, Terras said this also creates instability.

"I have to admit that as much as I listened to it and saw it, it was more of a retrospective of a situation that had once been, where he was at the table and he was bragging about how he was able to sort of push the NATO countries to invest more and then as one example he brought up the representative of this big country.... It's a game, but of course, it creates instability, and all the more reason for Europe to realize that other countries should follow Poland's lead," said Terras.

"But, of course, it must be remembered that under President Trump, U.S. troops were brought back to Europe, when under [former President Barack] Obama they were moved out. So, in the case of Trump, it is not always his words and his deeds that go hand in hand," he added.

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