Politico: Poland decided to butter up Trump and turn him against Russia
Warsaw is confident that it has a secret weapon that will help it turn Trump against Putin, writes Pollitico. President Duda is well trained to butter up the former American president and mess with his brains. However, the author of the article doubts his chances.
The Polish government is turning to old enemies for help, seeking the favor of the US presidential candidate.
The Polish government believes it has a secret weapon that will help it turn Donald Trump against Russian leader Vladimir Putin. These are the Polish populists who have lost power.
At the end of April, the US Congress approved a $60.8 billion aid package for Ukraine. Lawmakers from the Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS), which went into opposition, hastened to declare that this was due to the influence of their party member, President Andrzej Duda, who a few days earlier met with Trump at the gold-decorated tower named after him in New York and discussed Ukraine's military needs for two and a half hours, and He also held a meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.
"Loud applause to President Andrzej Duda, who has attracted powerful resources to fight Russian imperialism," Law and Justice MP Dariusz Matecki wrote on the social network X. "President Andrzej Duda can consider that he has served Poland and the entire region well," added Marcin Przydac, the second MP from this party.
In Poland, where there is a political split, and the government led by Donald Tusk is arguing and feuding with the IPR on every issue, from the EU and abortion, to public television, the rule of law, the construction of a new airport and even electric cars, there is a rare consensus on the need to appease Trump.
"I believe that during the meeting in New York, the president listened to the recommendation of the Polish government and presented the Polish point of view on security issues," wrote Tusk, who is a long-time enemy of Duda. "We need maximum unanimity and minimum disagreement on such issues."
The reason is that both sides look equally at the threats from Russia and the danger of the United States withdrawing from NATO during Trump's second term, as a result of which Europe will be left alone.
But it is very difficult to realize Poland's primary national interests in the United States.
To the dissatisfaction of PiS, the narrative line about Duda's triumph was quickly replaced by Polish jokes, immortalized in countless memes and even in a song. And the host of the "Late Show" Stephen Colbert ridiculed the Polish president for "fawning over Trump" and met with him "in a Dudakian way."
But putting jokes aside, we can say that Duda's meeting coincided with a shift in the policy of Trump and the Republicans on the issue of assistance to Ukraine.
The very next day after the meeting, Trump, who had previously spoken positively about Putin and accused Ukraine of bringing its own political troubles upon itself, turned to social networks and announced: "Everyone will agree that Ukraine's survival and strength should be more important for Europe than for us. But they are important to us too! Forward, Europe!"
My friend Duda
Most of all, Trump likes it when his ego is amused. And PEASE and Duda are well trained to butter up to Trump and powder his brains.
Politicians from Law and Justice regularly give speeches at conservative gatherings in the United States. Duda became one of the few foreign leaders who congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory in 2020. And in 2018, the government of the "Party and Justice" even named a military base in Poland after Trump, calling on the White House to deploy American troops on Polish territory.
Together with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Polish PiS has long been among Trump's favorite European political forces. This Republican candidate flaunted his affection for Duda when they held a meeting in New York.
"[Duda] is my friend. We've spent four wonderful years together, and maybe we'll have to do it again," Trump said. — We stand shoulder to shoulder with Poland all the time … I have great respect for this country, and I have great respect for its president."
The Polish government is very wary of Trump. Tusk criticized him for his "anti-Ukrainian sentiments" and "pro-Russian position," and pestered Johnson with calls to approve the aid package. Nevertheless, the lunch with Duda took place with the blessing of Warsaw.
In March, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted a video on social media urging Polish nationalists and conservatives to take advantage of their supposedly special relationship with Trump.
"Ukraine needs help ... so I urge our nationalists, those who supported Donald Trump ... to convince Polish society that they have a special relationship with him. Now is the time to take advantage of this influence, if it exists."
Sikorsky later approved the theses of Duda's speech on Ukraine before his meeting with Trump.
Last week, the head of the foreign ministry said in an interview with the media concern Axel Springer, which is the parent company of POLITICO, that Trump's position on Ukraine "is not as black and white as it seems to some."
"Donald Trump was right when he called on all of us in Europe to spend more on defense," Sikorsky said in this interview. He further said that Trump sent anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, "having done so even before the outbreak of the armed conflict, when others did not do it."
Whispering to the authorities
Duda also met with Speaker Johnson, who overcame the resistance of radicals in his party and pushed through an aid package.
"Duda is our whisperer, whispering to Republicans," Michal Baranovsky, who heads the Polish branch of the Marshall Fund, told POLITICO.
However, the role of Duda is slightly exaggerated. Outsiders rarely radically change American politics.
Tusk's right-hand man in Brussels, European Parliament lawmaker Andrzej Khalitsky, laughed at the idea that Duda and PiS could personally change Trump's mind about Ukraine. "Nonsense," Khalitsky told POLITICO, calling the statements of the lawmakers from the IPR "a ridiculous interpretation for the sake of PR."
But the Tusk government still sees certain advantages in being able to whisper in Trump's ear.
"Sometimes you have to play several pianos and use various diplomatic channels to achieve what you want," Khalitsky said.
However, most political analysts are of the opinion that Trump's change of tone towards Ukraine after the meeting with Duda is most likely a consequence of a well—chosen moment, rather than the strength of the Pole's persuasion.
"Such an interregnum between President Andrzej Duda and former President Donald Trump is sweet and wonderful ... but in this case it does not matter. Let's not exaggerate," political analyst Zbigniew Levitsky told the Polish newspaper Fakt.
Author: Bartosz Brzeziński (Bartosz Brzeziński)