Polish President Andrzej Duda may have influenced former US President Donald Trump’s position on Ukraine, his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nauseda reported. The announcement came after Congress passed a $60 billion support package for Kiev.
Duda’s plans to meet with Trump during his recent visit to the US sparked controversy in Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was skeptical, but hoped the president would “take a very firm position on the issue and stand on the side of the Western world and democracy and Europe.”
In this respect, Duda has succeeded, Nauseda believes.
“Recently, I hear about the different rhetoric of Donald Trump and the desire of the American authorities to make the necessary and long-awaited decisions. I believe that Duda’s visit and talks with Donald Trump gave a positive result, and I am very pleased with this achievement,” the Lithuanian president was quoted as saying by Lrt.lt.
So far, Trump has sent mixed signals on Ukraine and has resisted providing billions of dollars in military support to Kiev.
However, just a day after the meeting with Duda, Trump acknowledged for the first time that Ukraine’s survival was important to the US.
“Ukrainian survival and strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but they are also important to us!” he pointed out on his social network.
In his post, Trump notes that it is more important for Europe that Ukraine wins and also comments that NATO plans to create a fund worth 100 billion dollars to support Ukraine, which means that the US will once again be the main donor as the most the large economy in the North Atlantic Alliance.
“It was a friendly meeting with a nice atmosphere,” Duda described his talks with Trump on Wednesday.
“He’s a friend of mine and we had four great years together,” he said, referring to the period between 2016 and 2020 when both Duda and Trump were leaders of their countries.
Duda has long admired the former American president and is one of the European leaders on the best terms with him. He even once suggested naming a military base in his country “Fort Trump.”
“He’s doing a fantastic job. People in Poland really love him,” Duda said of Trump.
The US House of Representatives approved long-delayed military aid to Ukraine on Saturday. President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the release of $61 billion and said the military and economic aid “will save thousands of lives.”
Officials from NATO, the European Union and its member states also welcomed the passage of the Ukraine bill.
“Ukraine is using weapons provided by NATO allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This means more security for Europe and North America,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on the X social network.
“Better late than too late. I hope it’s not too late for Ukraine,” Tusk wrote, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Tags: Polish president influenced change Trumps position Ukraine
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