Blinken in Poland to seek common cause

WARSAW

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday met Poland's leaders to forge common cause on Ukraine as upcoming U.S. elections and Russian attacks raise new jitters.

The top US diplomat crossed into Poland by train after a joint solidarity trip to Kiev with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, with the two pledging to swiftly review Ukraine's requests for permission to strike deeper into Russia.

Blinken met separately in Warsaw with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, bitter rivals on the direction of the European Union member.

While split on domestic policy, Poland, with its dark historical memories of Moscow, has seen unity in backing Ukraine since its invasion by Russia in 2022.

Blinken hopes to use the final months of President Joe Biden's administration to work with allies to ensure broad and sustained support for Ukraine, which has received billions of dollars in Western military and economic support.

The Nov. 5 U.S. election could dramatically shift the stance of Ukraine's biggest backer, however, with Republican candidate Donald Trump declining to say in a debate on Tuesday whether he wants Ukraine to win.

Biden's political heir Kamala Harris referenced Poland, and the Polish-American vote in the politically crucial state of Pennsylvania, as she vowed to keep up the fight for Ukraine.

If the United States had not backed Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin "would be sitting in Kiev with his eyes on the rest of Europe," Harris said.

Poland, since the end of the Cold War an enthusiastic U.S. ally, nonetheless sought to work with Trump during his 2017-2021 presidency.

Duda met with Trump in April in New York, and the two have praised each other's records.