The Polish and US presidents on Tuesday started talks at the White House ahead of an expected declaration on stepping up cooperation on security, energy and investment, media reported.

The security of Poland is "very important", US President Donald Trump said during a brief meeting with reporters before face-to-face talks with Polish head of state Andrzej Duda.

Washington is a key military ally for Warsaw which, fearful of Russia, has been pressing for a permanent US troop presence in Poland. Trump said that the US was considering such a move.

A decision on the possible permanent stationing of American soldiers in Poland is likely to be made next year, a Polish official said earlier in the day.

The meeting with Trump was the first official visit by a Polish president to the White House in eight years.

If approved by the two leaders, the political declaration expected on Tuesday will help strengthen “the strategic partnership between Poland and the United States,” Krzysztof Szczerski, chief of staff to Polish President Andrzej Duda, said ahead of the visit.

Szczerski told reporters on Monday that, in addition to a one-on-one between Duda and Trump, the talks in Washington on Tuesday would include meetings between delegations of Polish and American officials, among them US Vice-President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

(pk)

Source: TVP