Polish Leaders Visit President Biden At White House
Poland marks 25th anniversary of joining NATO
By Robert Strybel
Warsaw Correspondent
WARSAW–Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk paid a joint visit to President Joe Biden at his invitation The occasion was the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). That would be nothing unusual except for the fact that the two leaders represent opposing political blocs. Their hostilities date from 2005 when the Kaczyński twins’ conservative Law and Justice party defeated Tusk’s liberal Civic Platform in both the presidential and parliamentary elections, and the two camps have been at one another’s throats ever since.
The good news is that both leaders managed to rise above party politics in the realm of national security and both are firm proponents of aiding war-torn Ukraine against Russian aggression. That was one of the key topics they discussed with Biden and other top US officials. They actively lobbied the Democratic-controlled House to unblock the stalled $60 billion aid package for Kyiv, but it wasn’t clear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson would change his tune.
Duda, whose country tops the list of Ukraine’s top financial supporters with over 4% of GDP earmarked for that purpose, proposed increasing NATO’s minimum support level to 3% GDP. Biden did not back him up, since some countries have yet to reach even the former 2% level. Asked at a press conference what he thought of Duda’s proposal to up the ante to 3%, Tusk described it as an attempt to mobilize NATO members in support of Ukraine. Such understanding is sadly absent in fields other than national security where differences of opinion usually trigger verbal clashes.
On the plus side was Biden’s solemn assurance that NATO’s “all for one and one for all” principle would apply to every inch of Polish territory. In more concrete terms, the US announced that it was offering Poland a $2 billion loan towards the purchase of 96 cutting-edge Apache assault helicopters and 1,800 missiles. Such a fleet of combat choppers costing $12 billion is seen as a major upgrade to Poland’s air defenses.
Following his Washington sojourn, Duda visited a Westinghouse powerplant in Georgia like the one Poland plan to build on the Baltic coast. He also toured a US Army base too see a demonstration of Apache helicopters and Abrams battle tanks. Tusk meanwhile said he would travel to Berlin for a session of the Franco-German-Polish Weimar Triangle alliance to report on the Polish Washington and mobilize NATO support for Ukraine’s defense.
Although the issue was not raised during talks with Biden, the general feeling was that a Trump victory in November’s election would effectively limit US assistance to Kyiv. During the Duda-Tusk visit to the US, Trump was hosting Hungary’s PM in Florida. There Viktor Orbán was quoted as saying: “If he wins, Trump won’t give Ukraine a single penny and the war will end.”
Note: Article below from Poland government website
Poland has been a member of the North Atlantic Alliance for 25 years
On 12 March 1999, a free and democratic Poland joined the North Atlantic Alliance. On that date, NATO opened its ranks to three former Warsaw Pact members: Poland, Czechia, and Hungary.
For Poland, the event crowned years of effort to obtain reliable security guarantees. NATO accession was also an opportunity for the country’s development and economic growth as part of the Western community of interests and values.
Today, Poland strengthens and modernises its armed forces. It plays a key role in defending the North Atlantic Alliance’s eastern flank. The Polish army takes part in Allied deterrence and defence measures and NATO’s missions and operations. We are consistently pursuing NATO’s effective adjustment to a volatile security situation, which is particularly important in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Alliance has ensured the security of its members for 75 years now as a central component of the strategic relations linking Europe with the United States and Canada. The same as 75 years ago, the transatlantic defence cooperation forms the foundation of present-day security in Europe and remains a source of stability and peace in the world.
Owing to the accession of Sweden on 7 March, the latest expansion of NATO has added significantly to the security of not only Poland but also the Baltic Sea region and NATO as a whole.
Author/photo source: CLIFF SCHIAPPA / AP POOL
Provider: PAP/EPA
