The US has a “sacred obligation” to the NATO military alliance’s collective defence, US President Joe Biden told his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda during a visit to Warsaw.

“You can count on that… For your freedom and ours,” he told Duda, who said that Poles were feeling a “great sense of threat” as a result of the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty guarantees that an armed attack on one member state will be considered an attack against everyone.

“I’m confident that Vladimir Putin was counting on dividing NATO,” Biden said. “But he hasn’t been able to do it. We’ve all stayed together.” emphasized Biden and added that it is important that NATO is fully united and “that we cooperate closely and coordinate activities with Poland”.

The US president also thanked Poland for taking on the burden of the influx of refugees.

“Mr President, the place is seen as secure and safe. That is why we are extremely grateful for your visit,” said President Andrzej Duda, addressing Joe Biden.

The Polish president paid special attention to the issue of diversifying supplies of energy sources. We are today Europe’s first importer of the American LNG which has been supplied to us by our gas terminal in Świnoujście, a tangible contribution to the diversification of gas supplies to Poland. This is of extreme importance in the context of the present-day Russian aggression on Ukraine, and the blackmail that Russia has been pursuing for years by playing the energy card. We have constructed the Świnoujście gas terminal precisely with the intention to fend off such blackmail, to avoid it, and we are very grateful for American support in this respect. stressed President Duda.

He also expressed gratitude for the unceasing engagement in the program of peaceful nuclear energy, involving the construction of American nuclear power plants in Poland, which are essential from the climate protection angle, and also important for the development of state–of–the–art energy sector in our country. “I trust that this partnership between the United States and Poland in developing nuclear energy for our country will continue in a spirit of close cooperation”, added Andrzej Duda.

During his two-day visit to Poland, Joe Biden spoke with American soldiers and refugees from Ukraine. He also met with volunteers who help refugees. At the end of his visit, he gave a speech in the courtyard of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Adrian Andrzejewski