The Polish president and prime minister are set to visit US President Joe Biden at the White House on March 12.
Marcin Mastalerek, chief of staff to the Polish head of state, told private broadcaster TVN24 on Thursday that the visit, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of Poland's NATO entry, "is the best moment to demonstrate NATO's unity," he said.
At their meeting in Washington next Tuesday, Biden, Duda and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk are expected to "reaffirm their unwavering support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s brutal war of conquest," according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
"The meeting also coincides with the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO and underscores the United States’ and Poland’s shared ironclad commitment to the NATO Alliance, which makes us all safer," Jean-Pierre said in a statement last month.
"The three will coordinate ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington," the statement added.
Ahead of Duda and Tusk's trip to America, Poland’s National Security Council will meet in Warsaw to discuss Russia's more than two-year-old war in Ukraine and its implications for regional security, officials have announced.
The council is scheduled to convene at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 11.
Duda said earlier this week that he was convening the National Security Council before his trip to Washington "to show the unity of the Polish political scene in security matters."
The National Security Council advises the president and includes senior officials such as the Speakers of both houses of parliament, the prime minister, the defence, interior and foreign ministers, and prominent politicians from both the government and opposition.
The head of the president’s National Security Bureau (BBN) is also a member of the National Security Council (RBN).
Monday’s meeting, which is expected to be held behind closed doors, will focus on national security challenges resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the Polish National Security Bureau.
Other topics include Poland's relations with its NATO allies and transatlantic cooperation, it said.
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said in a media interview in February that the upcoming joint visit by the Polish president and prime minister to Washington shows that all major political forces in Poland "share the same opinion about Russia and Ukraine."
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 743 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP