US President Donald Trump met with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is gathering on the outskirts of Washington, Reuters and the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The two spoke about the growing tension in Europe over the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place just days after talks between US and Russian delegations on the conflict. Neither the Ukrainians nor the Europeans were present at those talks in Riyadh.
During the Washington Conference, Trump called Duda “a fantastic man and a great friend“. Duda has maintained close relations with Trump in the past. On the other hand, Poland is a long-time ally of Ukraine.
After meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the conservative forum, Duda said the United States should have a greater presence in Poland and Central Europe, Reuters reported. He shared this opinion with Trump. In response, Trump told Duda that Poland, as one of the most reliable allies of the United States, should not worry.
Duda declined to comment on whether he had discussed the recent sharp exchange of remarks between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that his impression was that the US president was interested in "making Ukraine stronger, including through economic ties".
Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed the war in Ukraine in a phone call, world agencies reported.
In addition to this topic, the two also discussed efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.
The conversation took place on the eve of the G-7 leaders' meeting, which will be held on February 24 in a videoconference format.
On February 1, Trump signed an executive order imposing a tariff of 25 percent on imports from Canada. On February 3, he spoke with Trudeau and announced that the United States was suspending these tariffs on Canada for 30 days. The reason is Canada's commitment to allocate $900 million to strengthen the border with the United States, including combating fentanyl trafficking across it.