US president stands firm in support of Poland amid conflict in Ukraine

US journalist Bob Woodward has written in his book entitled "War" that US President Joe Biden assured Polish President Andrzej Duda that the US will continue supporting Poland unwaveringly.

The book was released on October 15, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Woodward recounted a conversation he had with Duda in April at the Polish Consulate in New York. Discussing the conflict in Ukraine, President Duda expressed that he has “complete trust” in Biden regarding the commitments the US has made to Poland.

He cited the example of February 2022, just before Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, when the US deployed 1,700 elite servicemen to Poland. “We will always defend Poland,” Biden assured Duda during a phone call.

Duda told Woodward that this promise was “extremely important” to him on an emotional level. One of the most intense moments in "War" highlights the deep concern that Biden and his national security team felt regarding the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin resorting to nuclear weapons. 

By September 2022, US intelligence assessments, described as "exquisite," presented a "deeply unsettling evaluation" of Putin's mindset—indicating he was so troubled by military setbacks that he might consider using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

According to Woodward, based on these alarming intelligence updates, the White House assessed that there was now a 50 per cent chance Russia would employ a tactical nuclear weapon, a dramatic increase from previous estimates of 5 per cent and then 10 per cent. “Connect with the Russians on all channels,” Biden instructed his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. “Inform them of our potential response,” he added, as reported by Woodward. 

The book also details a tense exchange between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart in October 2022.

“If you did this, all the restraints that we have been operating under in Ukraine would be reconsidered,” Austin told Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to Woodward. “This would isolate Russia on the world stage to a degree you Russians cannot fully appreciate.”

By Naila Huseynova