“Yesterday, we spent several hours at an official dinner hosted by President Erdoğan. It was an opportunity to speak with many world leaders. I also had a brief conversation with President Donald Trump. Our talks always concern the permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland,” said Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
NATO summit in Turkey
The NATO summit is taking place in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. On the second and final day of the meeting, a session of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government will be held, which is the key point of the summit. Leaders are expected to reaffirm unity, but also to seal Europe’s gradual assumption of greater responsibility for NATO’s defence, something the United States has been demanding for years.
The summit’s final declaration is also expected to include a reference to Russia, stating that the country poses a “long-term threat” to Euro-Atlantic security.
Poland is represented at the summit by President Karol Nawrocki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski. President Nawrocki’s agenda, in addition to taking part in the North Atlantic Council session, also includes, among other things, a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and a press conference.
“President Donald Trump is a great friend of the Republic of Poland”
Yesterday, the president, together with his wife Marta, attended a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the leaders of NATO member states. In a morning statement to the media, the Polish head of state stressed that his participation in the NATO summit was an opportunity for him “to raise three strategic issues: building NATO solidarity, strengthening transatlantic ties, and identifying Russia as the main threat.”
One journalist asked whether identifying the Russian Federation as the main threat meant that Vladimir Putin could use Russia’s armed forces against the countries of Central Europe.
“There is always a risk that Vladimir Putin will use the armed forces of the Russian Federation against the countries of Central Europe. That is why we are trying to strengthen unity not only within NATO, but also in Poland, by building strong armed forces and an effective defence system. We are here to show solidarity with our allies and to state clearly that the Russian Federation remains the main threat,”
the Polish president replied.
He also recalled that “President Donald Trump is a great friend of the Republic of Poland and a great friend of Poland, and nearly 10,000 American soldiers are currently stationed in our country.”
“Yesterday, we spent several hours at an official dinner hosted by President Erdoğan. Once again, I would like to thank him, above all, for organising the NATO summit. It was an opportunity to speak with many world leaders. I also had a brief conversation with President Donald Trump. Our talks always concern the permanent presence of U.S. troops in Poland. This matter is looking very good, especially after the final letter from Secretary Hegseth to the Minister of National Defence, Mr Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. I have been working toward this since September 3, since my first visit to the United States. President Trump is fulfilling his declarations. Now everything lies with the Polish Ministry of National Defence,”
he said.
Talks with the president of Ukraine
The Polish president also said that yesterday he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“It seems natural to me that countries which are neighbours and share a common enemy, the Russian Federation, should remain in dialogue, regardless of certain bilateral tensions. Yesterday, President Zelenskyy and I had a courtesy conversation. Perhaps we will repeat that conversation today. Of course, my position on issues concerning our bilateral tensions remains unchanged. Poland, and I think all of Europe, cannot accept references to the tradition of soldiers responsible for the deaths of 120,000 Poles,”
he declared.