A thousand feet above the White House this afternoon, a cutting-edge F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet put on a dazzling demonstration for President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and Mrs. Agata Kornhauser-Duda.
The special and rare show was part of the Polish leader’s warm welcome in Washington today—and a fitting way to honor Poland’s recent decision to purchase 32 American-made F-35 planes, replacing its post-Soviet fleet with state-of-the-art aircraft.
Speaking with reporters earlier, President Trump called the F-35 “the world’s greatest fighter jet” and the “most advanced plane, probably, anywhere in the world.” Poland is an essential ally, an exemplary member of NATO, and has long been a friend of the United States. Its troops stood shoulder-to-shoulder with American service members in both Afghanistan and Iraq. “This year as our nations mark 100 years of diplomatic relations, the U.S.–Polish alliance is stronger by far than ever before,” President Trump said during a joint press conference in the Rose Garden today. After 1989, Poland transitioned to a market economy as the Soviet empire collapsed across Eastern Europe. In the three decades since, it has become an important trading partner for the United States, accounting for $13.4 billion in two-way trade in goods last year—a record high. America increased its exports to Poland by more than $800 million in 2018. Today, Poland is a model European ally for the United States. Its government is a vocal opponent of Russian-backed energy projects that would create greater dependence on Moscow across Europe. Poland also sets an example for other NATO partners, meeting the alliance’s target to commit more than 2 percent of GDP to defense spending. Watch: President Trump and President Duda hold a joint press conference. An enduring partnership: Poland today is a model ally for the United States
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