“I think this visit will show a unity of purpose between the Americans and the Polish people and a shared definition of the threat. (…) Poland is seen as a humanitarian superpower since 24 February last year because of your actions. This is very impressive,” these are just excerpts from a wide-ranging interview by Maciej Kozuszek with US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski for Telewizja Republika.
US Ambassador Mark Brzezinski gave an interview to Telewizja Republika in which he was asked about President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland next week.
“President Joe Biden will be giving a major speech on the American Polish relationship and the centrality of the Ukraine conflict to the future of democracy. So it is a hugely historic speech. He will arrive here in Warsaw on Tuesday morning and he will do a bilateral meeting with President Duda. And then the speech will be on Tuesday evening at 5:30,”
the US ambassador stressed.
The diplomat stressed that “guests can start arriving as early as 2 pm”.
“No bags, no posters, no weapons, of course, no umbrellas. And so just come. But dress warmly because it will be cold that night. But, you know, the presidents, the president’s words will be warm. President Biden is the people’s president. And so that will warm all of us up on Tuesday night,”
Brzezinski added.
“We’re grateful to the people of Poland”
“Then on Wednesday, beyond internal meetings with the US embassy community, President Biden will meet with the B9, the Bucharest nine, the leaders of nine countries in Central Europe who compose NATO’s eastern flank. And that will be an opportunity for him to listen and learn and also to share, to listen and learn as to the security needs and security posture of our eastern flank allies and to convey what it is that we will do next,”
he continued.
Mark Brzezinski also pointed out that “America is the largest supplier of the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves. But we also know a vast amount of vast amount of that supply comes through Poland.”
“And we’re grateful. We’re grateful to the people of Poland for that,” he declared.
“Not just words, but actions”
Maciej Kożuszek, who conducted the interview, also questioned Brzezinski about the theme of the US president’s planned speech.
“Do you think this speech will be more of a recognition of our achievements or a presentation of perspective, i.e., what more do we need to do to help Ukraine keep up the fight and ultimately win?” – he asked.
“Well, I think it’s also important to invoke what we’ve done. And when I say we, I want to flag especially the poles when it comes to Ukrainian refugees. And I want Polish people to know that an absolutely compelling and warmly embraced story about Poland around the world is what you, the people of Poland, are doing for Ukrainian refugees,”
Brzezinski replied.
“(…) how you have allowed them to stay with you in your homes and your apartments, that you have provided shelter and food and school and health care and everything. They will need to live like good, normal people as if they were in their own country. Here in Poland. That is a beautiful story. And Poland is seen as a humanitarian superpower because of what you have done that is impressive to everyone,”
the US ambassador recalled.
Mark Brzezinski also pointed out that “America has more than ten thousand troops in Poland.”
“It is also important to note, March, that America has over 10,000 soldiers in Poland on bases all over Poland, and not by accident, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Polish military. That is a first in history, Poland’s history. You know better than me, but we know the centuries of occupation of Poland. We know how Poland has been ravaged by war in the past. We know about the Holocaust. And now you have your special friends, the Americans here, standing shoulder to shoulder with you. That is not insignificant. And we have a permanent facility now in Poznan, the fifth core forward command headquarters of the United States Army permanently in Poland. So this is a monumental moment in American Polish relations as we work to see what we do next in the crisis in Ukraine,”
the US ambassador emphasised.
The interviewer cited the President’s last visit to Poland, where he spoke at the Royal Castle. The American president at the time, made a declaration that ‘the US will defend every inch of NATO territory.’ He asked the American diplomat whether these words should resonate again. In doing so, he pointed out that the war in Ukraine has been going on for almost a year now, and such assurances are a guarantee for the security of Poland and the entire NATO flank.
“You know, much as you hear from all the top American leaders, not only President Biden, most important, of course, President Biden, but also Vice President Kamala Harris, our secretaries of state and defence, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, those same words when the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley, was here at the Warsaw Uprising Museum. He said exactly that, that every square inch of NATO’s territory, including Poland, will be defended,”
he said.
“Some of the images from Ukraine are reminiscent of 1939…”
Mark Brzezinski compared the current situation in Ukraine to 1939. As he stressed – this is the association many Poles may have.
“Of course, it’s different from 1939. We’re in 2023. But some of the video coming out of Ukraine is reminiscent of World War Two. And here we are in Poland, a stable and normal country right next to a war zone. So I think it’s important to reassure our friends, but not just in word indeed as well…,”
he said.
The American diplomat, addressing the Poles, assured them that “we stand together in this and we are ready for anything.”
“I think this visit will show a unity of purpose between the Americans and the Polish people and a shared definition of the threat. It will be cold, dress warmly, but don’t miss it. This is the only time like this. Let’s come together,”
he said at the end.
Joe Biden, the US President, will arrive in Poland on Tuesday morning, 21 February. He will begin his visit to our country with a meeting with President Andrzej Duda. In the evening, in turn, the American president will give a speech in Warsaw on the situation in Ukraine.
Watch also the interview here (in English) ⤵️