Polish president's ‘10-minute' meeting with Trump ignites controversy
The office of Polish President Andrzej Duda has rebuffed criticism of his meeting with US President Donald Trump, which detractors argue was far shorter than anticipated and followed an excessively long wait.
Polish media reported Duda had expected at least an hour with Trump, having flown across the Atlantic to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday. Bloomberg reported the officials met for ten minutes while Reuters noted that a 'short' meeting had taken place, after Trump arrived late.
On Monday, Marcin Mastalerek, Duda's chief of staff who accompanied him to the US, dismissed the criticism, saying the assessments of 'so-called Twitter experts' lacked a basis in reality.
'The meeting didn't conclude in 10 minutes, nor was it intended to last an hour,' he told Radio ZET, attributing the negative commentary to 'political jealousy' from those who resent the strong rapport between Duda and Trump. He further ridiculed the idea that waiting for 'the president of the greatest power, our greatest ally' could be seen as humiliating.
Duda was the first European leader to meet Trump in person after the latter's inauguration for a second term last month. Speaking to reporters during his visit, Duda expressed confidence that 'there is no concern about a decrease in US presence in Poland' and urged Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to pursue 'calm and constructive cooperation' with Trump.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters in the conflict with Russia, a policy that the pro-EU liberal government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has continued following a 2023 election victory over Duda's allies from the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.
In stark contrast, Trump's stance on Ukraine diverges significantly from that of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump advocates for a swift resolution to hostilities and has openly criticized Zelensky's policies, including his refusal to hold elections. Washington is also seeking to recoup taxpayer dollars spent on supporting Ukraine by negotiating a minerals deal, which the Zelensky government has yet to finalize.
Amid growing tensions, Trump has labeled Zelensky a 'dictator without elections,' warning that his opportunity to benefit from US goodwill is rapidly diminishing. In response, Zelensky has accused Trump of living within a Russian 'disinformation bubble.'
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