Polish Leaders Discuss Support for Ukraine with President Biden

Written by Camilla Jessen

Mar.13 - 2024 7:51 AM CET

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Photo: Drop of light / Shutterstock.com
Photo: Drop of light / Shutterstock.com
In a recent meeting with US President Joe Biden, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed strategies to maintain and strengthen support for Ukraine.

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After the meeting, in remarks to the media, Duda mentioned that Biden inquired about Warsaw's evaluation of the current situation on Ukraine's frontlines and the overall strategic perspective.

"There is no doubt that Russian imperialism has revived and it must be resolutely opposed. Russian imperialism must be stopped, and we have also talked about this," the Polish president said.

"We talked about how quickly it is possible to unblock American aid and exchanged comments about how we, Poles, mobilize the EU in this matter," reported the prime minister. The conversation also touched on expectations of consistency from Washington, with European partners keen on understanding the US's stance.

Tusk siad the urgency of unlocking the next aid resolution for Ukraine currently stalled in Congress, to which President Biden expressed optimism.

"I hope that the voice of Poland and Europe will change the attitude of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson... These are not some political disputes that are important only in the American political arena. The lack of a positive solution will cost thousands of lives in Ukraine - children, women, entire families. And he ( Johnson) will bear personal responsibility for this," Tusk stated.

Andrzej Duda briefed Biden on Poland's initiative to increase the "target standard" of NATO defense spending to 3% of GDP.

"It's not just about how much we spend on weapons. It's also about whether we can revive the defense industry in Europe on a large scale, whether we can produce enough ammunition relatively quickly to secure our countries and be able to help those who potentially may be attacked," Duda said.

Tusk noted a significant "unity of views" with President Biden on most discussion points. At the meeting's outset, Biden had remarked on the insufficiency of the recently announced $300 million aid package for Ukraine.