Polish expectations ran high over the extended weekend of summits involving European leaders and the new US president.
It has been an extended and busy weekend for top European and American politicians gathering at the 60th NATO anniversary, then at the informal EU-US summit. Polish leaders, too, participated in both these important events.
The biggest build up of emotions at the NATO gathering concerned speculations as to the fate of the prime candidature of Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the post of new Secretary General of the Alliance. Polish president Lech Kaczynski gave the Danish representative his blessing already at the start of the summit and critics were quick in pointing to a wasted chance for Poland in gaining some last minute benefits from driving a hard bargain.
Sunday marked another crucial development from the Polish perspective with the meeting of president Kaczynski and prime minister Tusk with US president Obama at the EU-US summit in Prague. Lech Kaczynski said, one of the key issues raised was military cooperation with focus on the missile defense shield and the dislocation of Patriot batteries on Polish territory.
Another topic of the Polish leaders' meeting with the US president were global climatic affairs. A community of interests was strongly underlined by prime minister Donald Tusk. He pointed to the dependence on coal of the Polish and American economies and the similar approach to climate protection issues of both countries.
Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Slawek Szefs.