US President Joe Biden will say in a speech in Poland on Saturday that the “free world” opposes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that there is unity among the big economies in the need to stop Vladimir Putin, the White House said. Reuters.
After three days of emergency meetings with G7 allies, the European Council and NATO, and a visit to US troops in Poland, Biden will meet with Polish President Andrei Duda.
Biden has vowed to restore democracy at home and unite democracies abroad to confront authoritarian leaders, including Russian President and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special operation,” tested that promise and threatened to launch a new Cold War three decades after the break-up of the Soviet Union.
In what US officials have said will be an important speech in Poland, Biden “will comment on the united efforts of the free world to support the people of Ukraine, to hold Russia accountable for its brutal warfare, and to defend itself.” “A future that has its roots in democratic principles,” the White House said in a statement.
Poland was behind the Iron Curtain for four decades until the fall of communist rule in 1989 under Soviet influence and was a member of the Moscow-led Warsaw Pact security alliance.
Poland is now the largest former communist member of the European Union and NATO, the security alliance formed to confront the Soviet Union.
The rise of right-wing populism in Poland in recent years has brought it into conflict with the European Union and Washington, but the threat of Russia pushing beyond its borders has brought Poland closer to its western neighbors.
Biden’s election put the Warsaw government in a difficult position, as it had given much importance to its relationship with its predecessor, Donald Trump.
But with tensions rising with Russia ahead of the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Duda appeared to be seeking to normalize relations with Washington. In December, he vetoed legislation that critics say was aimed at silencing a 24-hour US-owned news broadcaster.
Biden and Duda will meet in person and are expected to discuss how to equip Ukraine with warplanes and other security guarantees.
Washington, seeking to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, has rejected a surprise offer from Poland to transport Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany to be used to supply the Ukrainian air force.
Now Poland wants to accelerate the purchase of US Patriot missiles, F-35 fighter jets and tanks for its own security and to seek reassurance of NATO’s commitments to defend its members.
“Above all, we want the unwavering guarantee provided by the United States in the context of the alliance,” National Security Chief Pawel Soloch said on Friday. “Especially here in Poland and in the countries of the region. If there is an attack on Poland, the US will defend Poland.”
Source: Capital
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