Poll: Only Half of Young Poles Trust NATO Would Defend Against Russian Attack

A recent survey in Poland has found that only half of young Poles are confident NATO would defend the country if Russia attacked.

Among Poles aged 18 to 29, 51 percent said they believe the alliance would come to Poland's aid in the event of a military invasion. At the same time, nearly one-third of those polled indicated that, despite allied collective-defense obligations under Article 5, Warsaw could still be left to face the threat alone.

The result points to a notable trust gap among Polish youth toward NATO's security guarantees, even though Poland is one of the alliance's most vocal advocates for European security and has pressed for stronger deterrence on NATO's eastern flank. The doubts also come as Poland prepares to host the first large-scale "Coalition of the Willing" exercises in October–November 2026, with British and French personnel among the participants, to prepare future security arrangements for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Warsaw is negotiating with Washington over a larger conventional US military presence in Poland, though Polish officials have ruled out hosting American nuclear weapons. The poll adds to domestic debate over defense spending, modernization, and whether formal treaty obligations would be honored quickly in a conflict.