According to the White House, US President Joe Biden will meet Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on Saturday to discuss the Ukraine war. Biden’s speech was announced with a note on several statements. In his speech, Biden talked about the “joint efforts of the free world to end the “brutal war” in Ukraine. It is also about holding Russia accountable – and how that could be achieved.

Biden travelled to the Polish city of Rzeszow on NATO’s eastern flank on Friday. There he met US soldiers and had their pictures taken while eating pizza together.

Warsaw – Poland and Ukraine are connected by a more than 500-kilometre-long state border. This puts the parliamentary republic at the forefront of the Ukraine war. In addition to the border of the NATO states and the Russian sphere of influence of Vladimir Putin, there is also Belarus, which also borders on Poland. From there, too, Russian troops crossed the Ukrainian border.

In contrast to Ukraine, however, Poland has caught up with the West. The country is not only a member of NATO but also of the European Union ( EU *). Even before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the USA provided * soldiers to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.

Ukraine war: Joe Biden visits NATO partner country Poland

US President Joe Biden set off on a two-day trip to Poland on Friday (March 25, 2022) in view of the war in Ukraine. In the neighbouring country of Ukraine, Biden first wants to get an idea of the humanitarian mission to care for refugees. According to the Polish border guard, almost 2.24 million people have sought safety in Poland since the Russian invasion began. After that, the US President wants to meet with US troops stationed in Poland. The program also includes talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda and a performance at the Warsaw Royal Castle on Saturday (03/26/2022). The speech is scheduled for the afternoon between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., a spokesman for the US embassy told the German Press Agency.

“The President will comment on the united efforts of the free world to support the Ukrainian people, hold Russia accountable for its brutal war and defend a future built on democratic principles,” the White House announced, according to DPA information. Recently, Biden had increased the number of US soldiers stationed in Poland in order to further strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.

War in Ukraine: Biden’s visit to Poland arranged at short notice

The planning of Biden’s visit to Poland was not prepared well in advance, as is usually the case with visits by US presidents, Pawel Soloch, head of Duda’s Office of National Security, told the PAP news agency. Therefore, many things are arranged at short notice.

The US President was previously in Brussels and took part in several summit meetings on Thursday (03/24/2022). Among them was the NATO special summit, at which the heads of state and government of the alliance discussed further measures for the Ukraine war. Among other things, new sanctions against Russia were decided.

Fear of the Ukraine war: the number of shooting ranges in Poland has tripled

Meanwhile, Polish civilians are preparing at shooting ranges for a possible attack by Russia – driven by fears that the Kremlin could spread the war further towards Poland. An instructor at the Strzelnica Warszawianka shooting school told the online magazine Vice that the number of shooting ranges in the Polish capital, Warsaw, has tripled since the beginning of the Ukraine war.

“Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are more and more people who want to learn how to use guns and shoot,” Marcin Chewiński told the magazine. “They are afraid for their own family and for themselves. They want to learn how to use guns because they don’t know what will happen in Poland.” Most interested people want to learn how to use AK-47 rifles, Chewiński explained further. But smaller pistols like Glocks and Makarows are also popular. Women in particular are in the majority at the shooting range. “Women who start fresh and come to us initially shoot more accurately than men. They are calmer and more relaxed,” said Chewiński.

Ukraine War: Civilians prepare for the Russian attack

A similar trend can also be seen in other parts of Poland. A self-defense program for civilians has been set up in Wloclawek, 150 kilometres northwest of Warsaw. According to Vice, this was reported by TVN.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy *, on the other hand, is certain that Russia has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine, as he said in a video address to the NATO heads of state and government. At the same time, Zelenskyy called for further military support for Ukraine.