During yesterday’s meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki discussed economic, energy and defense cooperation between the two countries. The visit will last until Thursday. Morawiecki noted that Poland, unlike many other European players, is one of the most loyal allies of the United States – writes Tomasz Winiarski, contributor to BiznesAlert.pl.
The way Poland perceives its strategic alliance with the United States, how we see America’s historical role vis-a-vis Europe, is best defined by PM Morawiecki’s statement made during his visit across the ocean. America, as the head of our government emphasized, is today a source of hope for a free Europe. Just like during the communist era. The war in Ukraine, according to Morawiecki, is the beginning of the end of Russian imperialism and at the same time a turning point in the revival of the transatlantic community.
After the visit of US President Joe Biden to Poland, the head of the Polish government Mateusz Morawiecki flew over to America. Before leaving for Washington, he declared optimism and good intentions.”I am going to the United States to strengthen these two pillars, to strengthen their foundation, to build them in cooperation with our allies,” he said, referring to the development of military and economic relations between the United States and Poland.
He also added, that for Warsaw „the alliance with the United States is the absolute foundation of our security.” „They say that there is no friendship in politics, there are only interests, but I think that there is more than just interests between the United States and Poland,” Morawiecki said.
Harris responded that Poland “is a valuable ally, partner and friend,” of the United States. She also said that she hoped the relations and cooperation between Washington and Warsaw will continue to flourish.
„We want our defense systems to be as interoperable with yours as possible, which is very important. Poland wants to build the strongest army in Europe, that’s why we want to cooperate with the most advanced defense industry in the world, that is, the American industry, ” the Polish Prime Minister said on the issue of military cooperation, declaring that his government was increasing defense spending to 4 percent of GDP.
The Prime Minister also called for maintaining support for Ukraine and uniting the free world in its defense. As he himself noted, Kyiv must defend itself, because Russia’s ravenous imperialism extends far beyond the territory of Ukraine. Warsaw’s close alliance with Washington is the best remedy for the threat posed to the Free World by the Kremlin’s aggressive policy.
The American media emphasize Poland’s key location and its contributions to helping Ukraine on the frontlines. They also draw attention to the amount of aid Warsaw gave Kyiv and point to the construction of a nuclear power plant by Poland in cooperation with the United States and the American company Westinghouse.
During a separate press conference held outside the White House, Morawiecki noted that both presence of the American military bases as well as the presence of American businesses were part of our security. „I know that there will be highly advanced investments in the latest technologies in Poland,” he added.
The bilateral talks also resulted in America promising to increase its military presence, including permanently stationed troops, in Poland. A few thousand new soldiers will arrive, which will also entail the expansion of American military infrastructure in our country, including the construction of another base and warehouses for American equipment and weapons. Prime Minister Morawiecki stressed that while military personnel can be easily transferred, the war in Ukraine has shown how crucial it is to have the necessary equipment on the ground, which is used by the Armed Forces.
During his conference, the Polish politician also made allusions to France and Germany. He said that „some are setting their sights on the Far East”, a reference to Emmanuel Macron’s declaration after his visit to Beijing on French neutrality over the Taiwan dispute and the desire to build European strategic autonomy in isolation from America. Other European partners, as Morawiecki further pointed out, are “lost after the nightmarish mistakes of gas policy and buying natural resources from Russia,” which was primarily a reference to the policy pursued by the government in Berlin. In this way, Morawiecki noted that Poland, unlike many other European players, is one of the most loyal allies of the United States. As he said, Americans are well aware of this.
Morawiecki will also visit a military equipment plant and attend a conference on the state of the world economy. „Other meetings concern economic affairs, the financial sector. The Prime Minister will attend a meeting at the International Monetary Fund. There will be a big session on geopolitical issues, economic issues, macroeconomic shocks that affect the whole world,” said government spokesman Piotr Müller.