All joking aside, Duda’s meeting coincided with a shift in Trump and Republican policy on aid to Ukraine.
Less than a day after the meeting, Trump, who had previously spoken favorably of Putin and blamed Ukraine for his own political woes, said on his social media platform: “As everyone agrees, survival and Ukraine’s strength should be much more important to Europe than Ukraine. for us, but it is also important for us! MAKE EUROPE MOVE!
My friend Duda
Trump loves nothing more than having his ego stroked, and PiS and Duda are very used to chatting with Donald.
PiS politicians regularly speak at conservative rallies in the United States; Duda was one of the only international holdouts to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 election, and in 2018 the PiS government even considered naming a base in Poland “Fort Trump” to encourage the White House to station American troops in Poland.
Alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Poland’s PiS has long been part of Trump’s universe of preferred European parties. The presumptive Republican nominee displayed his fondness for Duda when the two met in New York.
“(Duda) is my friend and we had four great years together and we may have to do it again,” Trump said. “We are still behind Poland… I have great respect for this country and I have great respect for the president.”
Politico
