The United States has signed an agreement to provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to support the European country’s defense modernization program.
The deal will bolster the defense and deterrence of NATO’s eastern flank, the Department of State said on Monday.
The Foreign Military Financing direct loan will fund Warsaw’s efforts to beef up its defense capabilities by procuring defense articles from the United States, including F-35 aircraft, Patriot missile systems and Abrams main battle tanks.
The department said the U.S. government will provide up to $60 million to subsidize the loan’s interest, noting that military direct loans are reserved for the U.S.’s most important security cooperation partners.
Reuters said the loan is the second such deal between the U.S. and Poland following a $2 billion agreement they announced in September 2023.
The State Department publicized the defense cooperation deal following Lockheed Martin’s confirmation in May that the first F-35s for Poland would be ready around summertime.
According to Defense News, the planes will be used as trainers when Polish pilots start training on the fifth-generation aircraft in the United States between late 2024 and 2026.