During a visit to the White House, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has emphasised the importance of transatlantic ties and declared Poland the “leader of the new Europe” after the “failure of the old Europe”, in what has been interpreted as a rebuttal of French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks.
Morawiecki hailed current ties between Warsaw and Washington as “the best in history” and declared his government’s intention to make Poland’s army “the strongest in Europe” in partnership with the United States.
Poland and the US share geopolitical and economic goals. As well as the same values.
Thank you Vice President @VP Kamala Harris for your strong support and productive collaboration. https://t.co/1ooQ0NWDkI
— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) April 12, 2023
The Polish prime minister was yesterday welcomed to the White House by Vice President Kamala Harris, who praised Poland as a “valued ally, partner and friend”. The two countries “have a lasting relationship based on shared priorities and democratic values” that is “growing in strength”, she added.
Morawiecki likewise hailed the strength of Polish-US relations. “There are no nations that love freedom as much as Poles and Americans, and this unites us,” he declared.
“Warsaw and Washington speak absolutely with one voice and I hope that Brussels will also speak with one voice,” added Morawiecki, in one of a number of remarks seen as a response to recent statements by Macron.
In an interview with Politico Europe, the French president declared that Europe must be more than just “America’s followers” and needs to forge “strategic autonomy” instead of “taking our cue from the US agenda”.
"The great risk” Europe faces is getting "caught up in crises that are not ours," says Emmanuel Macron.
In an exclusive interview aboard his plane, the French president explained why he wants Europe to reduce its dependency on the US 👇https://t.co/JSLmEmnxIT
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) April 9, 2023
Speaking in Washington, however, Morawiecki said that he “sees no alternative to building an even closer alliance with the Americans. If countries west of Poland understand this less, it is probably due to historical circumstances”.
“Old Europe believed in an agreement with Russia and old Europe failed,” said the Polish premier. “But there is a new Europe, a Europe that remembers what Russian communism was, and Poland is the leader of this new Europe. Poland wants to become a bedrock of European security and we are on the right track.”
“Poland wants to build the strongest army in Europe, that is why we want to cooperate with the most advanced defence industry in the world, which is the American industry,” he continued.
“The resurgence of Russian imperialism is a harbinger of a new cold war…but [also] the beginning of the renaissance of the transatlantic community,” added Morawiecki. “Like in the times of communism, America has once again becomes a source of hope for free Europe.”
Joe Biden has hailed NATO's unity in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine during a speech in Warsaw, noting that Poles "know better than anyone what solidarity means".
He also thanked Poland for the support it has shown to Ukrainian refugees https://t.co/0cCj0857oP
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 21, 2023
Main image credit: Krystian Maj/KPRM (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
