Trump arrives in Poland

US President Donald Trump has arrived in Poland on his first bilateral visit to a European country.

The US leader and First Lady Melania Trump touched down aboard Air Force One at the Warsaw airport on Wednesday night at 10.15 p.m. (local time) for a visit scheduled to last less than 24 hours, reports Efe news.

On Thursday afternoon, Trump is scheduled to fly to Hamburg, Germany, to participate in the G20 summit, where he is also expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump's agenda in Warsaw - amid heavy security - will start with the meeting with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda at the presidential palace, to be followed by a brief appearance before the media, and later the pair will participate in an economic meeting with 12 heads of government from Central and Eastern European nations.

At the meeting, Trump will propose to the participating countries that they import US liquefied natural gas, arguing that they can thus reduce their energy dependence on Russia.

Poland favours the idea because it aspires to transform itself - with US investment - into a logistical centre for LNG in Eastern Europe, a point on which it is at odds with Germany, by building a port for such shipments on its northern coast.

Trump will then deliver a speech on the capital's Krasinski Square, where the monument to the uprising of city residents against the Nazi occupation stands, a symbol of Poland's fight for independence.

The Polish government, meanwhile, hopes that on his visit Trump will reaffirm his commitment to the security of all NATO members and strengthen Warsaw's position within the European Union amid the differences it is having with Brussels.

--IANS

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