By Victor Ashe U.S. Ambassador to Poland
President George W. Bush visited Poland June 8 for the third time as president. While brief, the visit was personal and memorable. It was held in an informal atmosphere, against the breathtaking backdrop of the Baltic seacoast at the Polish president's residence on the Hel Peninsula. President Bush traveled directly to Poland from a G8 summit in Germany for his meeting with President Lech Kaczyński.

The two First Ladies, Laura Bush and Maria Kaczyńska, dined together with their aides, my wife Joan, and Beata Wachowiak-Zwara, a medal-winning athlete on Poland's mono-ski team.

Separately, the two presidents and a small group of their senior advisors met over a working dinner. Those present on the U.S. side included White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten; National Security Adviser Steven Hadley; White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett; Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte; and myself. After dinner we all sat down together in a casual atmosphere that recalled a family gathering, with the Kaczyńskis' granddaughter Ewa adding charm and playfulness to the setting.

The informal atmosphere and extraordinary Polish hospitality allowed the two presidents to speak openly and directly to one another, and to discuss the important challenges that we face as allies-from energy security and the enlargement of NATO to the future of Kosovo and the advancement of democracy.

President Bush recognized Poland's role in advancing democratic causes around the globe-whether in neighboring Belarus, in America's neighbor Cuba, or in NATO expeditionary efforts in Afghanistan-and sought President Kaczyński's views, especially with regard to Belarus and Ukraine. Given its own history, Poland has made a special contribution to advancing democratic causes with actions, not just words.

Of course, the topic of missile defense was a major topic of conversation, especially after the proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous day to include Russian radar in Azerbaijan as part of a European missile defense shield. The two presidents share a commitment that the future security of NATO will remain as strong and indivisible as in the past. President Bush stressed his commitment to ensuring that a missile defense shield in Europe would also serve Poland's national security. The two presidents left the details of a missile defense agreement to the negotiators, who only recently held their first round of talks and will continue work when they meet again later this month.

One of the most important points to emerge from these talks in Jurata was a clear message from both presidents that the proposed missile defense shield is not directed at Russia and will not affect Russian security, but is rather a response against rogue regimes which have a goal of developing a long-range missile capability that could strike Europe and the United States. In President Bush's view, President Putin's recent recognition of the need for missile defense is an important step toward starting a constructive dialogue, and his proposal to use Russian radar in Azerbaijan could open the door to possible cooperation in responding to the emerging missile threat from the Middle East.

In conclusion, the meeting at Jurata strengthened the two leaders' personal bonds. It marked a step forward in our bilateral relations, and it set the stage for President Kaczyński's visit to Washington on July 16 to continue the important work of the two leaders. Recently President Bush asked me to continue as U.S. ambassador to Poland for the rest of his term in office. I am honored to accept the president's request. It is a great privilege to serve as ambassador in Poland and continue our important work.