Poland's Mateusz Morawiecki and US Vice President Kamala Harris held talks at the White House on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
'Two poles of Western civilisation’
At a joint media appearance with his host, the Polish prime minister said: “Thank you, Vice President Kamala Harris, for your warm welcome. It is said that there is no friendship in politics, there are interests. I think that there is more than just interests between Poland and the United States - they are two poles of Western civilization.”
‘All free nations must unite and stop Russia’
Morawiecki stated that “there are no more freedom-loving nations than Poles and Americans” and stressed that “now Poland and the United States are standing united in defence of the freedom of the Ukrainian nation.”
He added: “After the fall of communism, Russia lay in wait for nearly three decades. The return of Russian imperialism heralds a new Cold War.”
The Polish prime minister warned: “If we do not defend Ukraine, we risk a global crisis of an unimaginable scale. Putin will not stop in Ukraine. All free nations must unite and stop Russia.”
Morawiecki said that Poland sought to become "the cornerstone of European security."
He told reporters: “Poland is increasing its defence budget - up to 4 percent of GDP this year. Poland wants to build the strongest army in Europe, which is why we want to cooperate with the most advanced defence industry in the world - the American industry.”
The Polish prime minister also said that relations between Poland and the United States "are the best in history."
Morawiecki urged: “Poland believes that only a strong transatlantic alliance can be the answer to colonialism, nationalism and all imperialisms - not only the Russian one.“
He added that “we must stay united” in order to “defend the Western civilisation.”
US VP hails ‘very strong alliance’ between Poland and America
Meanwhile, Harris told reporters that her talks with Poland’s Morawiecki followed on from discussions held over a year ago on the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Harris said that she visited Poland in March 2022 for discussions with Morawiecki “and we demonstrated to the world the strength of our alliance in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
She added she also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and “Polish and American troops who are working together to defend NATO’s eastern flank” as well as refugees from Ukraine "who are in Poland thanks to the gracious welcome that they have received by the Polish people.”
Harris told reporters that US President Joe Biden has visited Poland twice since then, and her husband, US Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, travelled to Poland in January 2023 to visit the historic city of Kraków as well as to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day at Auschwitz.
She added that these visits and meetings "reaffirm the very strong alliance between the United States and Poland.”
Harris stated: “I might say that the strength of our relationship has only increased over the last couple of years, to the great pleasure of the American people.”
Harris said: “Poland is a valued ally, a partner and a friend and we have an enduring relationship based on shared priorities and democratic values.”
She added: “I look forward to strengthening and continuing to strengthen the relationship between our two nations.”
‘Close Polish-US relations are the best vaccine against Russian imperialism’: PM
After his meeting with Harris, Morawiecki told reporters:
“Close relations between Poland and the US are the best vaccine against Russian imperialism. The White House understands the risks of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. We discussed these topics thoroughly.”
He added: “Poland is an increasingly important partner for the US. We are perceived as pursuing a common-sense policy within the EU. I spoke to Vice-President Harris about cyber security, military security, but also about other threats - related to the Far East, migration and climate change.”
The Polish prime minister stressed: “Poland proposes a strategic partnership at all levels with the US, and this proposal meets with acceptance on the other side. It was also evident during President Joe Biden's visit to Poland when we discussed investment, economic and military projects.”
Polish PM visits America
The meeting with Harris marked the beginning of Morawiecki’s three-day visit to the United States, the PAP news agency reported.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller told reporters on Monday that the trip would focus on Polish-American economic cooperation, security and joint energy projects.
The Polish prime minister also plans to meet with US defence industry executives and take part in debates at the International Monetary Fund and the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, according to officials.
Tuesday was day 412 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, polsatnews.pl, c-span.org