NEW YORK (AP) – Former President Donald Trump met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in New York on Wednesday, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as Europe prepares for a possible second term for Trump. It became the latest one.
The presumptive Republican nominee invited Duda to a dinner at Trump Tower, where the two were scheduled to discuss, among other things, Ukraine. Duda, who has long expressed admiration for Trump, is also an ardent supporter of Ukraine and has encouraged Washington to provide more aid to Kiev amid continued Russian aggression. That money is being withheld by Trump's allies in Congress.
Upon arrival, President Trump praised the Polish president, saying, “He did a great job. He's a friend of mine.”
Trump added: “We've had four great years together.” “We are far behind Poland.”
U.S. allies around the world were caught off guard by Trump's surprise victory in 2016, forcing them to scramble to build relationships with a president who often attacks long-standing treaties and alliances they hold dear. lost. Setting up a meeting with him during the 2024 election period suggests they don't want to fall behind again.
Despite being on trial on one of the four criminal charges against Trump, Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden are locked in a rematch, with most observers predicting a very close race in November. I predict that it will.
“The polls are close,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a Biden ally and the party's leading voice on foreign affairs. “If I were a foreign leader, and there was a precedent for meeting with candidates who have been nominated or are in the process of being nominated, I would probably do that, too.”
Murphy noted that former President Barack Obama undertook an extensive international tour and met with foreign leaders when he first ran for the White House. So did former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who challenged Mr. Obama in 2012 and also stopped in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
Mr. Duda's visit came a week after Mr. Trump met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, a fellow NATO member and a major supporter of aid to Ukraine, at the former president's Florida mansion.
And last month, Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the dictator who has maintained the closest ties to Russia among the European Union countries. Mr. Orban shared a montage of footage from the visit on his Instagram feed, including images of himself and his staff meeting with Mr. Trump and other members of the former president's inner circle in what appeared to be formal bilateral meetings. It was included.
Trump also briefly met in February with Argentina's fiercely right-wing populist president, Javier Millay, who wore a red “Make Argentina Great Again” hat and ran a Trump-inspired campaign. A video posted by a Trump campaign aide shows Milley excitedly hugging Trump backstage at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in suburban Washington.
Biden administration officials have been careful not to publicly evaluate foreign leaders' meetings with Trump, who they acknowledge have a real chance of winning the election.
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, frequently meet with foreign rebels in various U.S. forums, although some officials have privately expressed dissatisfaction with such meetings. Therefore, it is mindful that any criticism could subject the United States to charges of hypocrisy. And overseas.
Security and policy officials monitor the travel plans of foreign officials visiting the United States, but generally do not know where they go or who they meet, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ceremony. He says he has no say in the matter.
Trump is back in his hometown this week for the start of his hush money criminal trial, which has severely restricted his travel and campaign activities. While in town, aides are planning a series of events, starting with Tuesday night, when Trump stopped by a Harlem shopping district after court adjourned to denounce the crimes and make him the first former president to do so. A man was killed for criticizing the district attorney and others who had done so. American history will be marked by criminal trials.
Duda, a right-wing populist who once proposed naming his country's military base “Fort Trump,” said the dinner earlier Wednesday was a gathering of friends at Trump's former residence while he was in town for a United Nations conference. He explained that it was a private gathering. .
“I was invited to Donald Trump's private apartment,” Duda told reporters, adding that when a country has good relations with another country, he describes the relationship as “both countries.” It is “normal practice'' to want to make it as strong as possible.'' They are representatives from various positions on the political stage. ”
He explained the friendship he had built with Trump over many years of cooperation.
“We know each other as people. We are, in a sense, friends,” said Duda, whose term ends in 2025.
Duda's visit comes as House Republicans fight a $95 billion foreign aid bill that would provide new funding to Ukraine, including money for the U.S. military to replace dwindling arms supplies.
Many Trump supporters in the House of Representatives have fiercely opposed aid to Ukraine, even as the country warns it is struggling amid renewed Russian aggression. President Trump said he may be open to assistance in the form of a loan.
Like Cameron, Mr. Duda's efforts to get the U.S. to approve additional aid share common objectives with Mr. Biden, who has struggled for six months to secure additional congressional funding.
One area of agreement between Mr. Trump and Mr. Duda on the conflict is efforts to encourage NATO members to increase defense spending. Duda called on allies to raise spending to 3% of gross domestic product as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. This is a significant increase from the current commitment of 2% by 2024.
In a stunning break with past U.S. precedent, President Trump has long been critical of Western alliances, threatening not to defend member states that fail to meet spending targets. This threat goes to the heart of Article 5 of the alliance, which states that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members.
In February, President Trump went even further, telling former leaders to “encourage” Russia to “do whatever they want” to, in his words, “misbehaving” member states. “I will,” he recalled.
Mr. Duda indicated that he would take up his proposal at the dinner.
“I have not spoken to President Donald Trump about my proposal to increase defense spending for NATO countries from 2% to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP), but I think his approach to it will be positive,” he said. I think it will be.”
The trip drew mixed reactions in Poland, where concerns about Russia have been heightened and Mr. Duda's friendly relationship with Mr. Trump has been controversial.
Duda's political opponent, Poland's centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, was critical of the banquet, saying that Duda was “clearly asking the Western world, democracy and Europe about this relationship between Ukraine and Russia.” “I hope that they will use this as an opportunity to raise the issue of taking sides with the US.” Conflict. “
Duda said he was not worried because the president regularly meets with various politicians during his travels abroad.
“No, I'm not worried, because presidents meet with their colleagues, especially those who have held the office of president in their respective countries,” he said. “This is normal practice, nothing special.”
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Ms. Szyślovska reported from Warsaw. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Zeke Miller and Seung-min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
