Readout of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Meetings With the President of the Republic

Pentagon Press Secretary John Ullyot provided the following readout:
     
On Feb. 14, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with the President of the Republic of Poland, President Andrzej Duda, and his Polish Defense counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of National Defense (MoND) Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. In both meetings, Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the strong bilateral relationship and delivered a clear message that Poland is a model ally on defense spending and modernization efforts — setting the example for NATO burden-sharing commitments and European leadership within the alliance. Secretary Hegseth recognized Poland’s hospitality and host nation support for the largest number of U.S. forces on NATO’s eastern flank. On Feb. 15, Secretary Hegseth and DPM/MoND Kosiniak-Kamysz visited U.S. and Polish Soldiers in Powidz, who, as one team, are training together, improving readiness, and strengthening deterrence.