June 24, 2020
Duda’s Unnecessary Gamble
Polish President Andrzej Duda will visit the White House on Wednesday, a mere four days before the first round of Poland’s presidential election. While the United States and Poland are close allies, Trump’s meeting with Duda immediately before his re-election bid is problematic for both countries. It should be called for what it really is: two leaders putting their own political interests above national security.
Duda expects to return to Warsaw with the promise of U.S. military hardware -- reportedly the opening of the European headquarters of the 5th Army Corps in Poland, as well as 30 F-16s and five C-130 Hercules. These would add to the assets that already rotate through Poland under an existing aviation detachment, though as always the details and implementation remain to be seen. Duda hopes the visit will boost him in an election bid that he could conceivably lose in a second round in July.
Read the full article in RealClearWorld.
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