During his visit to the White House with US President Donald Trump, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said he hopes for a stronger alliance between the two countries.
“I hope this meeting will be the next step in our relations, and I hope that we will build together a stronger alliance between Poland and the United States of America,” the Polish President said on Wednesday before the bilateral meeting.
Duda was the first foreign leader to visit the US since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, and was warmly welcomed by Trump who praised the US – Poland relations.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to Poland than we are right now” Trump said in a statement.
Duda’s visit was announced unexpectedly on Monday by Krzysztof Szczerski, the president’s chief of staff, and came four days ahead of the country’s presidential election, scheduled for June 28, where he is running for a second term as the country’s President.
Earlier in June, Trump confirmed plans to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany, accusing the country of being “delinquent” in its contribution to NATO. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had said he hoped some of them will be moved to Poland.
Following the two President’s meeting, Trump reiterated his position the he will slash the number of US troops from Germany, adding, however, that he plans to move some of them to Poland.
“Some will be coming home and some will be going to other places,” Trump said, adding that “Poland would be one of those other places.”
Duda, who had asked from the US President not to withdraw the troops from the German soil, said it was a “very reasonable decision”.
