U.S. President Donald Trump, who departs for Poland Wednesday, is due to meet Eastern European leaders in Warsaw before speaking in the center of the Polish capital, in what will be his first major public address in Europe.
The White House says the president will reiterate his commitment to NATO’s principle of common defense, but also restate his demand that other members contribute more to the alliance's financial burden.
Over 3,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Poland as part of a NATO deployment aimed at countering Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The University of Warsaw's Professor Zbigniew Lewicki, a political analyst, said: “I think most people want to hear that the United States would keep its military presence in Poland, would observe Article 5 of the (NATO) Washington Treaty - meaning coming to our assistance if need be.”
Trump will deliver his speech in the capital’s Krasinski Square, which has deep symbolism for many Poles, commemorating their resistance to totalitarian rule. His podium will stand beneath an imposing bronze monument to the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, honoring hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers and civilians who died during an ultimately unsuccessful two-month insurgency against the city’s Nazi occupiers.
Supporters say Trump's views on many global issues, such as climate change and migration, are shared with many leading figures in Poland's current government. However, some fear the U.S. president's visit could deepen the growing rift between Eastern and Western Europe.
Opposition groups are set to demonstrate their opposition to Trump. Any demonstrators are likely to be kept far away from Krasinski Square.