Warsaw, Poland — WARSAW, Poland (AP) —
US President Joe Biden will host Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a meeting in Washington on March 12, the 25th anniversary of Poland’s entry into the NATO alliance, the White House said on Thursday.
A statement from press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the leaders “will reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s brutal war of conquest.”
The battle is taking place on Poland’s eastern border, on NATO’s eastern flank.
The show of support now takes on special significance as political infighting in the US Congress delays the passage of a $60 billion aid package for Kiev.
The meeting will underscore that Washington and Warsaw share a “ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance, which makes us all more secure,” the statement said, adding that the three leaders will “coordinate” ahead of the NATO summit in Washington in July .
Poland spent around 4% of its GDP on defense last year and has earmarked around 3.1% of its GDP for that purpose for 2024, one of the highest percentages of defense spending among NATO’s 31 member states.
Duda said the level of spending shows that Poland is a “reliable ally and a model” for fellow NATO members. Many of them have been criticized by former US President Donald Trump and others for spending less than the 2% of GDP they committed to a decade ago.
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The US-Polish strategic partnership for energy security, economic ties and “shared commitment to democratic values” will also be a topic of discussion.
In Poland, the two top figures’ joint trip will have extra significance because the two men come from opposite sides of the country’s political divide.
Tusk and his liberal cabinet came to power in December and have energetically reversed the policies of their right-wing predecessors, whom they accused of violating the rule of law and democratic principles.
Duda comes from the right-wing party that ruled until December, and he has accused Tusk’s government of violating Poland’s constitution and using authoritarian methods.
Duda and Tusk met Biden in Warsaw on February 21, 2023, when the US leader visited after a trip to Kiev.
