WARSAW, Poland (AP) 鈥 U.S. President Joe Biden will host Poland鈥檚 President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk for a meeting in Washington on March 12, the 25th anniversary of Poland鈥檚 joining the NATO Alliance, the White House said Thursday.
A statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the leaders will 鈥渞eaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine鈥檚 defense against Russia鈥檚 brutal war of conquest.鈥
The struggle is taking place across Poland鈥檚 eastern border, on NATO's eastern flank.
The declaration of support is especially significant now, when political infighting in U.S. Congress is .
The meeting will underscore that Washington and Warsaw share an 鈥渋ronclad commitment to the NATO Alliance, which makes us all safer,鈥 the statement said, adding that the three leaders will 鈥渃oordinate鈥 ahead of the NATO Summit in Washington in July.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday that the meeting is 鈥渁lso a terrific opportunity to show our gratitude for everything that Poland has done, not just as a great NATO ally (...) but everything they鈥檝e done to help support Ukraine.鈥
Poland last year spent some 4% of its GDP on defense and has earmarked some 3.1% of its 2024 GDP for that purpose, among the highest rates of defense spending for NATO's 31 member countries.
Duda said that rate of spending shows that Poland is a 鈥渞eliable ally and a model鈥 for fellow NATO members. Many of them have been criticized by former U.S. President Donald Trump and others for spending less than the 2% of GDP they committed to a decade ago.
Duda said on X, formerly Twitter, that the joint trip on the anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO 鈥渟hows that the Polish-U.S. alliance is strong and will remain strong regardless of who rules in both countries."
The U.S.-Polish strategic energy security partnership, economic ties and 鈥渟hared commitment to democratic values鈥 will also be a theme of discussions.
In Poland, the joint trip of the two top figures will have additional significance, because the two men come from opposite sides of the country's political divide.
Tusk and his liberal Cabinet took office in December and have been energetically reversing policies of their right-wing predecessors, who they have accused of violating the rule of law and democratic principles.
Duda hails 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 with Biden in Warsaw on Feb. 21, 2023, when the U.S. leader visited after a trip to Kyiv.
