Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed with President Donald Trump a range of issues on Tuesday, which included greater energy ties between the two countries.
For the first time since Trump entered office, Duda — the president of Poland since 2015 — visited the White House. The two leaders held a joint press conference after discussing issues revolving around the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
A major topic of discussion between the two men was energy. Trump and Duda spoke publicly about the need for greater energy diversity and trade.
“The United States and Poland are deeply committed to energy diversity all across Europe. No nation should be dependent on a single foreign supplier of energy,” Trump stated Tuesday, taking a clear swipe at Russia, which has been a major supplier. “Soon, our nations will launch a high-level diplomatic exchange on energy security. And Mr. President, we are now — as a few months ago — the largest producer of energy in the world. So that’s a big statement.” (RELATED: Trump’s Promise Of LNG To Europe Will Undercut Russia’s Energy Dominance)
For months, Trump has worked with European leaders and encouraged them to purchase more U.S. natural gas — a move that would benefit stateside producers and also undercut Russian domination of the market. Both Duda and Trump oppose Nord Stream 2, a pipeline proposal that would deliver natural gas from Russia to Europe.
Trump held strategic talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in as recently as July, announcing that the EU leader had pledged to import more U.S. liquified natural gas.
Trump was not the only person in the administration who met with Europeans on Tuesday. U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry — speaking at a summit in Bucharest, Romania — encouraged Eastern Europeans to diversify their energy resources, calling the continent’s increasing dependence on Russian oil a “cause for concern.”
“There is great security in energy diversity,” Perry stated at the Three Seas Summit “Energy security is tantamount to national security.”
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