WEBVTT - Poland's Foreign Minister Talks NATO

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<v Speaker 1>As we looked at Joe Biden at the podium last night,

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<v Speaker 1>the big seventy fifth anniversary emblem right in front of him.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a big moment for the Alliance, and there

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<v Speaker 1>was more at play than just Joe Biden's acuity.

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<v Speaker 2>And we're going to get into a lot of this now.

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<v Speaker 1>As we heard from the President last evening, he spoke

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<v Speaker 1>for roughly one hour fifty nine minutes, and he was

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<v Speaker 1>asked about what he was hearing about his age, about

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<v Speaker 1>his status politically here from world leaders at NATO.

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<v Speaker 2>Here he is, I'm.

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<v Speaker 3>Not handing any my European allies company to say, Joe,

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<v Speaker 3>don't run. What I hear them say is you've.

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<v Speaker 2>Got to win.

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<v Speaker 3>I can't let this guy come forward. He'd be disaster.

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<v Speaker 3>He'd be disaster. I mean, I think he said in

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<v Speaker 3>one of his rallies, don't hold me to this recently

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<v Speaker 3>where NATO. I just learned about NATO or something to

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<v Speaker 3>that effect. Foreign policy has never been his strong point.

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<v Speaker 4>Joe Biden, of course making those remarkasity wrapped up the

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<v Speaker 4>three day NATO summit here in Washington and joining us

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<v Speaker 4>now as someone who is in town for that summit.

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<v Speaker 4>The foreign Minister of Poland, Radik Sekorski, is here with

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<v Speaker 4>us in our Washington, d C. Studio. Minister, welcome back

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<v Speaker 4>to Bloomberg. It's lovely to have you. I wonder what

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<v Speaker 4>your perception of Joe Biden was, not just in the

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<v Speaker 4>press conference last night, but over the course of your

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<v Speaker 4>visit to Washington this week. Do you see a man

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<v Speaker 4>not only capable of leading a country for another four

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<v Speaker 4>and a half years, but effectively leading the free world.

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<v Speaker 5>Look, I'm not interfering in your internal chaffairs. I can

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<v Speaker 5>tell you that we had a summit with President Biden

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<v Speaker 5>in March, with our president, our Prime minister.

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<v Speaker 2>I was there.

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<v Speaker 5>We had I think nineteen minutes of conversation. President Biden

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<v Speaker 5>was focused, strategic, and quite humorous.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually, slip ups happen.

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<v Speaker 5>You know, just meeting with the old journalists, and I

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<v Speaker 5>made a slip up and I didn't correct myself. But

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<v Speaker 5>we need America to lead, and President Biden is leading

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<v Speaker 5>the effort on Ukraine, for which we.

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<v Speaker 2>Are very grateful.

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<v Speaker 1>I just used the wrong name on the air before

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<v Speaker 1>you came in. I did a slip up, and I

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<v Speaker 1>do it all the time. We're trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 1>what counts as a slip and what qualifies as deterioration.

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<v Speaker 1>And I would ask you, you're not a doctor. We

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to dwell on your view on that necessarily.

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<v Speaker 1>But this is a very important moment for the Alliance.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking about the potential for enormous change here domestically

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<v Speaker 1>politically in the United States. There's a lot of noise

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<v Speaker 1>around the president, as we already know, which could have

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<v Speaker 1>been a bit of a distraction, but there's also great

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<v Speaker 1>uncertainty about the trajectory of politics and a number of

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<v Speaker 1>European nations, having seen elections in France, having seen a

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<v Speaker 1>change in leadership in the UK, some are calling this

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<v Speaker 1>a peak for NATO might not be the same following

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<v Speaker 1>this moment. How does the Alliance survive the uncertainty globally politically?

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<v Speaker 5>Now, well, let's unpick or you just said there's change

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<v Speaker 5>in the UK. But I am assured by the new

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<v Speaker 5>government and the Foreign Minister visited me at home in

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<v Speaker 5>Poland on the third day of his of him holding

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<v Speaker 5>office that Ukraine will be solid I mean the Britain

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<v Speaker 5>will be solid on Ukraine, and Prime Minister Starma reaffirmed

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<v Speaker 5>that in France some people worried that the nationalist side

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<v Speaker 5>of the.

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<v Speaker 2>Politics will take over. That hasn't happened.

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<v Speaker 5>Putin is constantly accounting on our divisions and on our inefficiency,

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<v Speaker 5>and he doesn't understand our psychology, and he doesn't understand

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<v Speaker 5>that we are in it for the long haul. Look,

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<v Speaker 5>as you said, I took part in the summit yesterday.

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<v Speaker 5>I was I was in pressed at how consistent and

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<v Speaker 5>powerful and persuasive almost all the leaders of the Alliance

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<v Speaker 5>were in saying we are in it for the long

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<v Speaker 5>run until Ukraine is a secure, independent nation, and we

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<v Speaker 5>have some good decisions out of the summit, and President

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<v Speaker 5>Biden is the author of these good decisions.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, we don't know that he'll be President Biden beyond

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<v Speaker 4>January four.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, that's democracy for.

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<v Speaker 4>You, certainly. And even the president of Poland, President Dudah,

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<v Speaker 4>has told Joe and I that if it does turn

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<v Speaker 4>out to be a second Donald Trump administration, he can

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<v Speaker 4>work with Donald Trump. We hear it frequently from other diplomats,

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<v Speaker 4>such as yourself, a willingness to work with whomever. I

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<v Speaker 4>guess my question is, do you really believe that Donald

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<v Speaker 4>Trump will be as willing to work with you? As

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<v Speaker 4>President Biden.

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<v Speaker 5>We keep in touch with the administration and with the

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<v Speaker 5>alternative administration, as we do with any other democracy have

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<v Speaker 5>a cohabitation in Poland. The president is from a more

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<v Speaker 5>Trumpion side of Polish politics, and he's kept in touch

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<v Speaker 5>with President Trump all along, and we encourage him. I personally,

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<v Speaker 5>of course, work with the administration, but I talked to

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<v Speaker 5>President Trump's people and some of the things that they

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<v Speaker 5>tell me about what they plan to do are interesting.

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<v Speaker 2>And creative, not frightening.

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<v Speaker 5>Politics is a difficult business. Some of these things are

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<v Speaker 5>very controversial. We were disappointed that the American supplemental took

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<v Speaker 5>so long, but eventually the good thing happened. We hope

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<v Speaker 5>that President Trump will want to be a winner and

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<v Speaker 5>a winner of getting to a fair piece in Ukraine,

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<v Speaker 5>which means Ukraine enjoying its liberty.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you worry about the idea of redefining Article five,

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<v Speaker 1>as Donald Trump has suggested based on the level of

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<v Speaker 1>financial contribution?

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<v Speaker 2>Is that a creative idea?

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<v Speaker 5>He was right to insist that allies should spend more,

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<v Speaker 5>and I quickly defended many, even in style, because when

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<v Speaker 5>predecessors did it politely didn't work. Okay, So the combination

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<v Speaker 5>of President Trump's and Joe Biden's pressure and the war

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<v Speaker 5>in Ukraine resulted in the fact that twenty three out

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<v Speaker 5>of the thirty two allies now spent two percent of

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<v Speaker 5>GDP on defense. Poland spends four and we're going to

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<v Speaker 5>spend five next year. We're number one in Nature, including

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<v Speaker 5>the United States in proportion, obviously because we we are

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<v Speaker 5>no longer in eternal post Cold War peace. But to

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<v Speaker 5>think about so, this is a good thing and that

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<v Speaker 5>was needed. But an alliance is not a neighborhood security company.

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<v Speaker 5>Take Iceland, which is a Nature member, which hardly has

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<v Speaker 5>a defense budget at all, but it has other vital assets,

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<v Speaker 5>its territory, its ability to refuel.

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<v Speaker 2>To bring.

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<v Speaker 5>When we rallied around the United States, when countries were

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<v Speaker 5>spending under two percent, we sent first Poland, one brigade

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<v Speaker 5>to Afghanistan, another brigades to Iraq. Others did the same.

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<v Speaker 5>So the level of spending shouldn't be the early oddstick.

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<v Speaker 4>Just in our final moment with you. Something else that

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<v Speaker 4>came out of this summit was the labeling of China

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<v Speaker 4>as a decisive enabler of Russia. And we also know

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<v Speaker 4>that Donald Trump has quite hawkish toward China, as is

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<v Speaker 4>Joe Biden for that matter. And I wonder if to you,

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<v Speaker 4>whatever the outcome of the election, does it seem that

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<v Speaker 4>the US is orienting more toward that adversary, leaving Europe

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<v Speaker 4>to be the one who has to step up defense

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<v Speaker 4>militarily against the threat of Russia.

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<v Speaker 5>Secureencing matters. If we enable Ukraine to win to defend

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<v Speaker 5>its independence and borders in the next couple of hours,

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<v Speaker 5>then I think other theaters could become a priority. And

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<v Speaker 5>actually helping Ukraine win, I believe would also moderate China's behavior.

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<v Speaker 5>China is respecting our thickest red line, which is not

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<v Speaker 5>to send arms to Russia, unlike Iran or North Korea.

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<v Speaker 5>And yes, China could actually bring their vessal put into

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<v Speaker 5>heal and tell them to end this war. And we

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<v Speaker 5>are making these representations to the Chinese leadership, and I

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<v Speaker 5>hope they act on them.

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<v Speaker 1>We've enjoyed staying in touch with you, and I hope

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<v Speaker 1>that you'll continue to factor us into your plans when

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<v Speaker 1>you're returned to Washington. Thank you for joining us on

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<v Speaker 1>this NATO summit week