WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Andrzej Duda said he met privately with former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during his visit to New York on Wednesday.
The Trump campaign described the two men as “great friends” and said at the meeting they discussed a proposal from Duda that NATO countries spend at least 3% of their GDP on defense.
Duda, whose term ends in 2025, was one of Trump’s favorite international partners during his presidency.
“I was invited by Donald Trump to his private apartment, so to speak… this is just a private meeting in connection with my presence here in New York,” Duda told reporters in New York.
Trump, who is on trial in New York on charges that he covered up a “hush money” payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, is in a tight race against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, ahead of November’s presidential election.
Many European leaders have long been nervous that a new Trump presidency would mean a decline in U.S. support for neighboring Ukraine Ukraine and the NATO military alliance.
“President Trump fondly recalled his historic trip to Poland in 2017 and commended the Polish people for their steadfast defense of their sovereignty and their commitment to the security of Europe’s borders against all threats,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. the reading.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Karol Badohal; additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Gerry Doyle)
