The radical turn in US policy towards Ukraine and Russia undertaken by Donald Trump is putting Poland's relations with America to a great test. In Poland, he is admired, but also bewildered.
Polish President Andrzej Duda was keen to be the first European head of state to personally pay his respects to the new US President Donald Trump. The two politicians have had a close relationship since Trump's first term (2017-2021). At the time, Duda enjoyed exclusive access to Trump, and during the election campaign last year, he allowed himself a demonstrative visit to him. This time, however, the Polish head of state's trip across the Atlantic turned into a disaster.
Last Saturday (February 22, 2025), Trump first made his Polish guest wait for an hour and a half, and then gave him just under ten minutes to talk. He did not receive him at the White House, but met with him at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was held near Washington.
Not even ten minutes
Live television footage showed Duda waiting impatiently in the VIP room for the late US president to arrive. The Polish guest was then allowed to applaud Trump's speech at the CPAC meeting from the front row. From the podium, the American president described Duda as a “fantastic man” and praised him for the fact that 84% of Poles living in America voted for him.
But the difference with the reception of French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday (February 24, 2025) could hardly have been greater: The guest from Paris was received with all diplomatic honors, and the event in the Oval Office was worthily covered by the media. After that, the two heads of state gave a joint press conference.
It was a “humiliation“ and “cold shower“ for the Polish president, wrote Jacek Nijnickiewicz in the “Żecpospolita“ newspaper. Apparently, Duda, who leaves office in the summer, is already a “lame duck“ for Trump - that is, a politician on whom nothing depends anymore. "In Trump's new world, Poland is no longer an important subject from the US perspective, let alone a key player," the newspaper writes.
Humiliation or success?
Duda "should not have flown," writes Bartosz Wielinski in "Gazeta Wyborcza," who wonders if the most important thing for him was just to be patted on the back and praised by Trump as the most loyal ally. Duda avoids criticizing Trump. He also dodged journalists' questions about why the US president called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" and why Trump spread false information about US aid to Kiev in his speech.
"We achieved everything we wanted to achieve," claims the head of the Polish presidential office, Marcin Mastalerek, after returning from Washington. The head of the Polish Institute of International Relations (PISM), Jarosław Čwiek-Karpowicz, also defended Duda, calling the visit important: "Every second counts when working with Trump. It's good that this dialogue took place," he said.
The Poles' dilemma
The failed visit made the Polish dilemma very clear. The country on NATO's eastern flank considers Washington to be the most important, if not the only, reliable guarantor of its security. At the same time, Poland has supported Ukraine in its fight against Russia since day one - regardless of who is in power in Warsaw. This is because Poland feels existentially threatened by Vladimir Putin's imperial plans.
Trump's new course towards Ukraine and his conciliatory gestures towards Putin are worrying Poles. The opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party is in a particularly difficult position. She fully supports Trump's conservative revolution and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. After the US election results were announced in November last year, PiS deputies demonstratively applauded Trump's victory in the Polish parliament. However, the new US government's closeness to Russia and criticism of Ukraine are forcing Polish national conservatives to seek a balance between their admiration for Trump and loyalty to Ukraine.
Kaczynski defends J.D. Vance
Amidst the criticism of J.D. Vance after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński sided with the American. According to him, Poland faces a choice - either to become the leader of European understanding with the US government under Trump, or to inspire anti-American forces in Europe. "Tusk is showing that he wants to be the leader of the anti-American rebellion in Europe," Kaczyński added.
And indeed, the center-left Polish government of Donald Tusk has a problem with the new American administration. Tusk took part in the conference in Paris, convened by Macron on February 17, 2025, at which Europeans discussed how to react if America ends its support for Ukraine. However, the Polish government has no intention of breaking off its good relations with Washington.
Poland - excellent in defense spending
In any case, the Trump administration clearly prefers Poland to other countries in Europe. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth chose Warsaw as the destination of his first foreign visit in mid-February and did not spare his praise. “Poland is the country that best understands the United States. "It can be a link between the United States and Europe," he said.
The US special envoy for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, also visited Warsaw before leaving for Kiev. Among NATO countries, Poland is considered a high-profile spender: the central European country will spend 4.7% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on defense this year. More than 10,000 US troops are stationed in Poland. The US is also the most important supplier of weapons to the Polish army. Poland also remains a distribution center for Western military aid to Ukraine.
The US as a guarantor of Polish security
For Poland, the biggest guarantor of its security remains the US. Recent statements by Friedrich Merz, who is likely to be the next German chancellor, on European-American relations were met with skepticism in Warsaw. On election night, Merz expressed sharp criticism of the new American administration and assured that his absolute priority would be achieving unity in Europe and independence from the United States.
The government and the opposition in Poland agree on one issue: no Polish soldier should participate in a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. In the midst of the election campaign in Poland before the presidential elections in May and June, the topic is very sensitive. In a recent poll, over 76% of Poles are against Polish participation in such a mission.
Despite the humiliation in Washington, Duda's faith in Trump seems unshakable. Trump “will not sell Ukraine”, the Polish president assured the Polsat News television channel on Monday evening.