The Polish President met with Biden and Speaker Johnson in Washington.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would attack other states if the Kremlin wins the war against Ukraine. The politician tried to convince the United States to approve an aid package to Kyiv.
“Today, Ukraine needs to make sure that Putin does not win the war. We are a people who were enslaved by Russia several times. If Russia wins the war in Ukraine, it will attack again. He (Putin – ) will attack other states. That is why they (Russians – ) must be stopped. They must be blocked. They must be punished,” Bloomberg quotes Duda as saying.
Duda’s comments came after he visited the White House with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a critical moment in the war in Ukraine. The United States, Poland and other allies of Ukraine are trying to provide additional assistance to Kyiv as the war enters its third year and the country’s weapons stockpile dwindles.
Spending on NATO
Duda’s visit to Washington was timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Poland’s membership in NATO. The Polish president repeated his calls for Alliance members to increase their defense spending commitments. Biden praised Poland for spending nearly 4% of its GDP on defense, double the 2% threshold set for NATO members. Duda sought to raise the threshold to 3%.
There is growing concern in some foreign capitals about the future of the military alliance and, more generally, the United States’ commitment to its allies.
Asked how he would persuade NATO members to increase their contributions, Duda cited the example of the initial resistance to opening talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union immediately after the Russian invasion began.
“After two or three months they were saying completely different things,” Duda said.
Help for Ukraine – main news
Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said during his presidency he would allow Russia to do “whatever it wants” with countries that don’t meet the alliance’s defense spending obligations. Trump also criticizes US aid for Ukraine.
On March 12, the White House announced $300 million in military aid to Ukraine, the latest attempt by the Biden administration to push for aid amid gridlock in Congress. U.S. aid has stalled as House Republicans use Biden’s request as leverage to extract concessions in domestic disputes over immigration and border policy.
Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson during a visit to Washington and said he stressed to US representatives and senators the need to confront the threat from Russia.
