Speech by the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Exactly 25 years ago, on 12 March 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the strongest Alliance in the world. The dream of many generations of Poles came true.

There is no better place to celebrate this special anniversary than the White House. Courageous decisions were made right here – in the capital of the United States by both Democrats and Republicans. NATO expanded to the east. Poland joined the free world, the West, where it has always belonged.

And for those courageous decisions, and for their unwavering support, I would like to thank all the Americans who contributed to them. I express these thanks to you, Mr. President, bearing in mind that at the time you were one of the leaders of support in the US Senate for Poland’s accession to NATO. I thank you on behalf of millions of Poles!

During these 25 years we have shown that we are a reliable and proven ally. Even when our soldiers fought side by side with American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Poland knows like few other countries in the world that security comes at a price. That is why we spend more than 4 per cent of our GDP on maintaining and modernizing our armed forces. This is the highest percentage in the Alliance.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine clearly demonstrated that the United States is and should remain the security leader! But other Allies must take more responsibility for the security of the Alliance as a whole.

That is why I believe it is necessary for all NATO countries to increase their defense spending from 2 to 3 percent of GDP! 2% was good 10 years ago. Now 3 % is required in response to the full–scale war, launched by Russia right beyond NATO’s eastern border.

We Poles believe in America. We believe that Poland and Europe need more America. Militarily, politically and economically. More American spirit in thinking and acting.

I have had the opportunity to discuss this point with Mr. President on many occasions. Also when we received you twice in Poland. A year ago, when we met in Warsaw, I announced that when Poland would chair the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2025, our top priority would be to deepen cooperation between the United States and the EU.

We are working consistently in this direction in Poland. That’s why we are buying the most advanced American weapons in the world – Abrams tanks, F–35 fighter jets, Apache helicopters or HIMARS missile launchers.

Close cooperation with the US also applies to other important areas. Such as energy. Work is already well advanced on the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant, which we are building with American companies. Tomorrow, in Georgia, I will have the opportunity to visit such a modern nuclear power plant.

We attach great importance to further American investments in Poland. I hope that our joint visit with the Prime Minister will contribute to deepening bilateral economic relations. We invite new American companies to come to Poland!

Today’s visit sends an important message, one that confirms the strategic nature of Polish–American relations, which we want to develop further!

wu-ka