- Andrzej Duda became latest world leader to reconnect with former president ahead of November elections
- Duda arrived as Republicans threaten to derail plans for more U.S. aid to Ukraine
- “We had four great years together,” Trump said. “We may have to start again.”
The Polish president last night became the latest foreign leader to beat his way to Donald Trump’s door, as the world prepares for his possible return to the White House.
Andrzej Duda was greeted like an old friend upon his arrival at Trump Tower, where the former president is staying as his criminal trial over alleged secret payments begins in New York.
The two men are longtime allies, but Duda was keen to gain support for more military aid to Ukraine amid continued Republican hostility to a new aid package. .
“This gentleman is doing a fantastic job, the Poles love him, they really do,” Trump told reporters as the two men entered.
“We spent four great years together. We may have to start again.
“We spent four great years together. We may have to start again,” Donald Trump said while welcoming Polish President Andrzej Duda to Trump Tower.
Duda was one of Trump’s strongest European allies when he was in the White House. They are photographed together in 2019
The planned dinner comes as European leaders prepare for the possibility that Trump wins the November election and returns to the White House, according to AP.
Duda was at the White House last month to advocate for more weapons for Ukraine, which shares a 330-mile border with his country.
But Trump has yet to support House Speaker Mike Johnson’s latest attempt to send $61 billion to Ukraine, including a $7.9 billion loan.
And the former president horrified world leaders in February when he told a rally that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever it wants” to NATO members that don’t not contribute their share to the alliance budget – reiterating this threat a few days later.
He hailed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “smart” and “wise,” boasting that it could end the long-running war “within 24 hours.”
The ex-president has long attacked NATO members who do not respect the treaty’s requirement to devote 2% of their national income to defense.
But with war raging on our doorstep, Poland’s spending currently stands at 4% and Duda echoed Trump’s calls for others to contribute more.
“In the face of the war in Ukraine and Russia’s growing imperial aspirations, NATO member countries must act boldly and without compromise,” he said during his visit to the White House last month.
“The war in Ukraine has clearly shown that the United States is and must remain the security leader in Europe and the world.
“But other NATO countries must also take greater responsibility for the security of the entire alliance and intensively modernize and strengthen their troops.”
With the Republican nomination all but sealed and a slight advantage over Joe Biden in the polls, the former president has had a series of meetings with foreign leaders.
He spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, dined with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and had one-on-ones with Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Duda was elected president of Poland in 2015 for the populist Law and Justice party and has long praised his former White House colleague, once proposing that a Polish military base be renamed “Fort Trump.”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who once called Donald Trump “xenophobic, misogynist and stupid”, visited Mar-A-Lago last month.
The former president has reconnected with other foreign leaders, including Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom he met in March.
Argentina’s newly elected populist president Javier Milei also visited Mar-A-Lago in February
He is officially in New York for a United Nations meeting, but his convivial dinner with Trump has alarmed his opponents who fear it could damage Poland’s standing with the current White House.
Poland’s newly elected centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he hoped Duda would use his visit “to raise the issue of clearly siding with the Western world, democracy and Europe in this Ukraine conflict.” -Russian”.
Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza said the visit would be “harmful and dangerous” and would be seen as a “slap in the face” by the Biden administration.
But Duda’s former foreign minister, Paweł Jabłoński, said it was prudent to meet the man who could determine the fate of the world after November’s general election.
“We need to talk to both sides of the political scene, especially since Donald Trump has a good chance of winning and these relationships must be maintained,” he insisted.
“International politics is about maintaining relationships with everyone and making them as good as possible.”
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