President Biden pledged an “ironclad” commitment to America’s allies on Tuesday as he sought to reassure NATO members that the United States will not abandon its international obligations despite threats of attack from Russia and disruption from the fall his opponent. former president Donald J. Trump.
Hosting Poland’s leaders at the White House, Mr. Biden showed contempt not only for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who continues to wage war on Ukraine, but also, implicitly at least, for Mr. Trump, who has said he would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO members who do not spend enough on their military forces.
“When we are united, no power on earth is stronger,” Mr. Biden said, citing former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, the Czech-born diplomat who championed NATO membership for Poland, Hungary and the homeland her, he concluded about. day in 1999 with the support of Mr. Biden, then a senator. “I believed it then, and I believe it now,” he added.
The meeting with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland marked the 25th anniversary of their country’s accession to NATO, which marked the beginning of a post-Cold War expansion of the alliance into previously dominated parts of Europe. Soviet Union. Just this month, NATO formally welcomed Sweden, which, like Finland, joined in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, increasing the alliance to 32 members, up from 16 when the Berlin Wall fell.
Mr. Biden used the opportunity to announce $300 million in additional arms and military equipment for Ukraine, a small fraction of what he asked Congress for but all that he could draw from savings from previous arms transfers without additional legislative authority. He pressed House Republican leaders to stop blocking Senate-passed legislation for $60 billion in security aid to Ukraine, a measure that has bipartisan support and is almost certain to pass if brought to the floor.
“We have to act before it’s literally too late, before it’s too late, because as Poland remembers, Russia will not stop in Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said. “Putin will continue, endangering Europe, the United States and the entire free world.”
Mr. Biden praised Polish leaders not only for investing in the alliance but also for taking in about a million Ukrainians who have fled the war. “Do God’s work,” he told the leaders. “You really are. It’s incredible what you’re doing, what the Polish people are doing.”
He also promised Poland a $2 billion military loan and approved the sale of 96 Apache attack helicopters to Warsaw.
Poland is at the forefront of the alliance, ever wary of Russian revanchism and staunchly backing non-NATO Ukraine as it defends itself against Mr Putin’s forces. Poland spends more on its military as a percentage than any other alliance member, nearly 4 percent of its economy, twice the alliance’s target. Mr Duda used the visit to the White House to suggest that NATO raise its target from 2 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent.
“The other allies have to take more responsibility for the security of the alliance as a whole,” Mr. Duda said as he sat with Mr. Biden in the East Room of the White House. “2% was good 10 years ago. Now 3 percent is required in response to the full-scale war launched by Russia just across NATO’s eastern border.”
Alliance leaders agreed in 2014 to the 2 percent goal, but it was a non-binding aspiration to meet by 2024. While several US presidents have pressed NATO to do more for its own defense, Mr Trump has been more combative demanding that the Allies increase military spending and talked about it as if they owed the money to the United States, which was not true.
Under Mr Trump, the number of NATO members meeting the 2% target rose to nine from six. Under Mr. Biden, it has doubled to 18, reflecting growing fear of Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. The United States spends 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on the military, and most of the other top spenders are in Eastern Europe, closer to Russia. Collectively, European allies are spending 2 percent of their combined gross domestic product this year, or $380 billion.
While Mr Biden did not mention Mr Trump by name on Tuesday, Mr Tusk appeared to allude to comments in which the former president mocked the mutual defense obligation in Article 5 of the NATO treaty. “We take our obligations seriously, more than anyone else in Europe,” Mr Tusk said. “And we hope that none of our NATO partners will undermine the most important obligation, which is Article 5 of the treaty.”
The Polish leaders’ visit was the first since landmark elections in October, when opposition parties defeated the ruling Law and Justice party, a right-wing faction accused of undermining democracy as it consolidated power in key institutions such as the judiciary, the media, the central bank and large state-controlled companies.
Mr Duda and Mr Tusk, who was appointed prime minister in December, are bitter rivals who have clashed repeatedly at home. Mr Duda is an ally of Law and Justice who was favored by Mr Trump when he was in power, while Mr Tusk is a veteran centrist who during his previous term as prime minister from 2007 to 2014 worked with with Mr. Biden. the vice president.
Their conflict led to a dramatic showdown in January, when Mr. Duda gave sanctuary in the presidential palace to two former officials of his party who had previously been convicted of abuse of power. Mr Tusk accused Mr Duda of obstruction of justice and police were sent to the palace to arrest the former officials.
But in a measure of how seriously Poland is taking the Russian threat, the two rivals agreed to put aside their differences for their joint visit with Mr Biden. “I differ politically with President Andrzej Duda on almost everything,” Mr Tusk he wrote in Polish on social media, “but when it comes to the security of our homeland, we must and will act together. Not just during a visit to the US.”
