The Latest on President Donald Trump’s second official visit to Europe (all times local) :
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump’s second official visit to Europe (all times local) : 2: 45 p.m. President Donald Trump is welcoming Croatia’s commitment to boosting energy security and diversification. The White House said in a statement that the president’s meeting Thursday with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic of Croatia reaffirmed their mutual interests in supporting « stability and security in the western Balkans. » The White House also says that Trump « expressed support for timely completion of the Krk Island liquefied natural gas facility. » Trump said Thursday during a major speech delivered in Warsaw that he wants to make sure Poland and its neighbors are « never again held hostage » to a single supplier of energy. Russia is one of the largest suppliers of energy to the European Union. His comments come on the eve of his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. ___ 2: 03 p.m. The office of Slovenia’s president says U. S. President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to visit the small central European nation that is the homeland of his wife Melania. Borut Pahor’s office said in a statement Thursday that the Slovenian president extended the invitation on the sidelines of the Three Seas summit, a meeting of countries all bordered by the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. It was not immediately clear when the visit could take place. Slovenian officials had hoped that the first meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held in Slovenia. President George W. Bush and Putin held their first face-to-face meeting in Slovenia in June 2001. Melania Trump was born and raised in Slovenia before moving abroad in her twenties to pursue a modelling career. ___ 2: 00 p.m. President Donald Trump is wrapping up his major speech on Poland by declaring that « the West will never be broken » and vowed to win the battle against extremism. Trump, speaking in Warsaw on Thursday, said « our people will thrive and our civilization will triumph. » He offered praise for his hosts’ resilience in the face of historic threats from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, declaring « let us all fight like Poles. » Trump used the speech to make the case for the United States and its allies to embrace that spirit of nationalistic pride that helped sustain the Polish people. He repeatedly drew contrasts with the beliefs of extremists and made the case for the necessity of his travel ban, which restricts immigration from some terror-impacted countries. ___ 1: 55 p.m. President Donald Trump is reaffirming his commitment to NATO’s Article 5 as he delivers a speech in Warsaw, Poland. Trump said Thursday that the United States « has demonstrated not merely with words, but with its actions that we stand firmly » behind Article 5, « the mutual defense commitment. » He says, « Words are easy, but actions are what matters. » Trump was criticized during his first foreign trip for failing to explicitly affirm his commitment to the mutual defense of NATO members during a critical speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The article states than an attack on one member is an attack on all members and binds the allies to come to that country’s defense. It has only been invoked once, after the Sept. 11,2001 terrorist attacks. ___ 1: 52 p.m. President Donald Trump is praising Poland for honoring its defense spending commitment to NATO saying that « the example you set is truly magnificent. » He used the occasion of his first visit to Poland to renew his call for other NATO members to boost their defense spending. In a major address in Warsaw Thursday, Trump said that Poland is « now among the most committed members of the NATO alliance » and says that Poland « has resumed its place as a leading nation of a Europe that is strong, whole and free. » He’s also touting the benefits of a strong Europe, calling it « a blessing to the west and to the world. » Trump’s first visit foreign trip was marred by a tough speech to NATO members urging them to spend more on their armed forces. Poland is one of the five NATO members that spends at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on the military, as Trump has urged. ___ 1: 48 p.m. President Donald Trump is calling on Russia to stop its destabilizing activities in Ukraine. He’s also calling on Moscow to end its support for « hostile regimes. » Trump specifically called out Syria and Iran. Trump instead urged Russia to join the « community of responsible nations » in its fight against common enemies and the defense of civilization. Trump’s plea to Russia comes a day before his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, which the U. S. does not recognize. Russia also supports separatist elements operating in Ukraine. Trump included the message to Russia in a public address during a quick visit to Poland. ___ 1: 42 p.m. President Donald Trump is telling a crowd in Poland that Europe no longer faces the threat of communism but that the West is now battling new « dire threats. » Trump, in a speech Thursday in Warsaw, said that the United States and its European allies have suffered frequent acts of terror. He vowed that « we will confront them and we will win. » The president specifically used the phrase « radical Islamic terrorism, » the label for extremists that he used frequently during the campaign but declined to say in front of a gathering of Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia during his first foreign trip in May. He said that extremists groups threaten the West’s « way of life » and obliquely defended the administration’s travel ban that restricts immigration from some Muslim majority countries. ___ 1: 38 p.m. President Donald Trump says Poland may be the geographic heart of Europe but the Polish people are its soul. Trump is addressing thousands of Poles from Krasinski Square, site of the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupation. More than 150,000 Poles died during the struggle to overthrow oppression. Trump is praising the spirit of the Polish people for enduring and overcoming every effort to transform, oppress and destroy them. He’s holding up Poland as an example for other nations. He says Poland’s triumph over hardship gives nations all hope for a future in which good conquers evil and peace achieves victory over war. ___ 1: 30 p.m. President Donald Trump says that he is eager to expand U. S. partnerships with Poland, especially when it comes to exporting energy. Trump said Thursday during a major speech delivered in Warsaw that he wants to make sure that the country and its neighbors are « never again held hostage » to a single supplier of energy. Russia is one of the largest suppliers of energy to the European Union. Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday. Poland received its first shipment of American liquefied natural gas last month. ___ 1: 25 p.m. First Lady Melania Trump warmed up the crowd in Poland’s capital ahead of her husband’s speech, saying that all people should be allowed to « live their lives without fear. » The first lady said Thursday that guaranteeing the « security » of the American people is the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s administration and that she hoped all around world could share in that safety. She also touted a tour she took earlier in the day at a science center nearby in Warsaw where people came « to observer, experiment, to ask questions and seek answers » which she said should inspire people in both the United States and Poland. Melania Trump, who is taking a prominent role in her husband’s key overseas trip, also saluted the Polish people and their « beautiful country. » ___ 12: 45 p.m. Crowds waving U. S. and Polish flags have gathered in and around a Warsaw square where President Donald Trump is set to deliver his first public speech in Europe. Many have come from various corners of Poland and are holding banners with the names of their towns, including « Pila » or « Gorzow » in the west. Other banners on display in Krasinski Square feature the right-wing, pro-government Gazeta Polska newspaper. Crowds are also gathering in neighboring streets, where screens have been set up for viewing. Former president Lech Walesa is among the special guests in the VIP sector. Poland’s leaders have promised Trump a warm welcome before he heads to Germany later Thursday for a summit of the world’s developed and developing nations. ___ 12: 30 p.m. President Donald Trump is wrapping up his meeting with Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. The two leaders met Thursday on the sidelines of the Three Seas summit, a meeting of countries all bordered by the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas. The group aims to expand and modernize energy and trade with the goal of reducing the region’s dependence on Russian energy. The Croatian leader has been a driving force behind the initiative to diversify the region’s energy supply and make it less dependent on Russian energy sources. ___ 11: 58 a.m. President Donald Trump says that everyone is benefiting from a thriving U. S. economy, except for him. Trump bragged about recent stock market gains as he addressed a summit with the leaders of the Three Seas Initiative in Warsaw, Poland. But he says: « Personally I’ve picked up nothing. » He adds: « that’s all right. Everyone else is getting very rich. That’s ok, I’m very happy. » Trump gave his two adult sons and a senior executive control of his global real estate, property management and marketing empire when he took office in January. But Trump did not divest his businesses. Instead he placed his financial assets in a trust that he can seize control of at any time. ___ 11: 42 a.m. President Donald Trump has pledged that the United States will never use energy to coerce eastern and central European nations. And he adds that the U. S. won’t allow other nations to coerce them either. Trump was addressing a meeting in Warsaw, Poland, of the Three Seas Initiative. It’s an alliance among a dozen eastern and central European nations that are bordered by the Adriatic, Baltic and Black seas. The group aims to reduce their dependence on oil and gas supplied by Russia.
