Poland is at the doorstep of Russia, so Warsaw attempts to win over Western critics
Prior to the Russian invasion in Ukraine, relations between Poland and its close allies, the United States of America and the European Union were at best strained. The European Union assessed Warsaw as having committed democratic backsliding and imposed punitive sanctions on the right-wing government. After the 2020 elections, Polish President Andrzej Duda was a loyal ally of Donald Trump and took several weeks before he officially congratulated President Biden.
This was after Biden, on the campaign trail, had lumped Poland into a rogues collection of nations he claimed were stealing democracy.
Warsaw’s disagreement with its Western allies seems to have melted away as Duda, Biden and others embraced at a Polish airport located less than 60 miles from Ukraine’s border. Duda gushed about the strength of U.S. ties with Poland, praising Washington’s role in maintaining stability and world peace in the face of “Russian aggression” against democratic and free nations.
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