On Saturday, during a press conference preceding his departure for the United States, President Andrzej Duda stated that the first destination of his trip would be Chicago, where he would meet with the Polish diaspora. In this context, he quoted U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed his gratitude for the fact that over 80% of U.S. citizens of Polish descent voted for him.
“Today, we have a Polish community that truly constitutes an electoral force, one that is recognized by the most important politician in the United States—the President of the United States. This holds immense value for us in terms of lobbying for Polish interests, as well as influencing various decisions that will be made in the future and are currently being made in the United States on significant matters, including those concerning us,”
Duda said.
The next stop on the president’s visit will be New York, where he will participate in the session of the United Nations General Assembly. He did not hide the fact that the assembly had been convened “specifically so that he could deliver what is de facto his farewell address.” At this moment, the president recalled his first speech at the UN in 2015, during which he argued that the world should be based on the rule of law rather than the law of force.
“Time has shown how crucial those appeals were,” Duda assessed. “Especially today, as we look at the reality around us—the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the application of the law of force against a sovereign, independent state that is now defending itself,” he added.
“We see how important it was, even back then, to speak loudly about the threats that existed and of which we were aware. These were the same threats once highlighted by President Lech Kaczyński, particularly in his speech in Tbilisi, Georgia, when Russia attacked Georgia in 2008. At that time, President Kaczyński also spoke of the danger facing Ukraine and, in the long term, the Baltic states, as well as Poland,”
the President recalled.
President Duda noted that Poland has drawn conclusions from these events and is strengthening its security through various means, including building military potential, increasing defence spending, ensuring the presence of NATO forces in Poland, and most importantly, maintaining the presence of American troops in Poland while reinforcing relations with the United States, which he described as “a key ally.”
Duda also referred to President Trump’s assessment of Poland on Friday, in which Trump stated that Poland had “risen to the occasion and done an excellent job for NATO.”
“I am pleased to say with confidence that we are present in the consciousness of American politics, particularly in matters of security. This is of utmost importance and is undoubtedly a success of our policy during the four years of President Donald Trump’s previous term, as well as the result of the recent discussions I have held with President Trump and his associates,”
President Duda commented.