Poland's president visits Donald Trump as allies eye a possible return

Former President Donald Trump met Wednesday in New York with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of meetings with foreign leaders as Europe braces for the possibility of a second Trump term.The presumptive Republican nominee hosted Duda at Trump Tower, where the two discussed the war in Ukraine and Duda's push to boost NATO members' defense spending, according to a readout from Trump's campaign. Duda, who has long expressed admiration for Trump, is also a staunch supporter of Ukraine and has encouraged Washington to provide more aid to Kyiv amid Russian's ongoing invasion. That funding has been held up by Trump allies in Congress.As he arrived, Trump praised the Polish president, saying, "He's done a fantastic job and he's my friend."Following the almost 2 1/2 hour meeting, Duda said only that it was a "friendly meeting in very nice atmosphere."Duda is the latest foreign leader to meet with Trump in the weeks since he locked up the Republican nomination. U.S. allies across the world were caught off guard by Trump's surprise 2016 win, forcing them to scramble to build relationships with a president who often attacked longstanding treaties and alliances they valued. Setting up meetings with him during the 2024 campaign suggests they don't want to be behind again.While some in Poland worried the visit might damage the country's relationship with Biden, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. — a Biden ally and a major voice in his party on foreign affairs — said such meetings make sense.Murphy noted that former President Barack Obama did a lengthy international tour and met with foreign leaders when he first ran for the White House. So did Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who challenged Obama in 2012 and whose trip included a stop in Poland's capital, Warsaw.In March, Trump hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an autocrat who has maintained the closest relationship with Russia among European Union countries. Orbán shared a montage of footage of the visit on his Instagram feed, which included an image of him and his staff meeting with Trump and the former president's aides in a scene that looked like an official bilateral meeting.Biden administration officials have been careful not to weigh in publicly on foreign leaders' meetings with Trump, acknowledging he has a real chance of winning the race.Security and policy officials monitor the travel plans of foreign officials visiting the U.S., but generally don't have a say in where they go or with whom they meet, according to an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss protocol.