President Trump is expected to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday amid discussions about the Ukraine war, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Duda, a right-wing populist who has a warm relationship with Mr. Trump, is traveling to the U.S. to attend the Conservative Political Action conference, where he is expected to meet with Mr. Trump on the sidelines. The president is also scheduled to speak at the conference Saturday.
Mr. Trump on Tuesday blamed Ukraine, a longtime ally of Poland, for Russia’s invasion, saying that Ukraine should have never started the war, even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine in February 2022. On Friday, the president acknowledged in a radio interview that Russia had attacked Ukraine.
“I’m not trying to make Putin, like, nicer or better. I’m just telling you the fact that war should have never happened,” Mr. Trump told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade.
On Friday, the president was asked whether the U.S. was close to reaching a deal on access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for military aid.
“I think we’re pretty close,” Mr. Trump said during an event at the White House. “Yeah, I think they want it. They feel good about it, and it’s a significant — it’s a big deal, but they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they’re very happy about it, but, it’s — we get our money back.”
The president has framed the idea as a return on the U.S. investment made in backing Ukraine’s defensive efforts — aid which has already added up to over $65 billion.
Poland’s President has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to remain calm and committed to working with the Trump administration.
“I trust … good will and honesty from the foundation of the U.S. negotiation strategy,” Duda said in a post on X. “I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace.”
The Polish president will come with his own agenda, seeking further reassurances that U.S. troops will remain in Poland, a NATO member. Duda met with special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg earlier this week and was told the U.S. does not intend to reduce the number of U.S. troops in the region.
During a 2018 visit to the White House, Duda suggested the building a permanent U.S. base in Poland and calling it “Fort Trump.”
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