The Latest: Trump, Merkel consult ahead of G20 summit

Asked what subjects they would address, Trump declined to say.

Merkel has been open about her disappointment with Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from an international climate agreement. She told the German parliament “we cannot expect easy talks in Hamburg” on climate issues

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5:45 p.m.

Former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev says Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin need to establish a wide-ranging agenda in their meeting on Friday.

In comments to state news agency RIA-Novosti on Thursday, Gorbachev said the meeting of the Russian and American presidents in Hamburg, Germany, should emulate the 1986 Reykjavik summit of Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan that substantially advanced US-Soviet relations.

“First of all, it’s good that this meeting will finally take place, but it’s a pity that this is happening only now — and so far our countries do not have a joint constructive agenda, it takes a lot of time to catch up,” Gorbachev was quoted as saying.

“We now need an impulse from the leaders, as happened in Reykjavik in 1986′” he said. “We must put everything on the negotiating table and establish a mechanism for interaction, not for any single items, even important, but for all problems.”

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5:10 p.m.

Senior Senate Democrats say Donald Trump will be committing a “severe dereliction” of his presidential duties if he fails to confront Russian leader Vladimir Putin about Moscow’s meddling in U.S. elections.

In a letter sent to Trump a day ahead of his meeting with Putin, the lawmakers say it’s critical that Trump set the agenda and make clear that Russia’s interference in American democracy will not be tolerated.

The letter is signed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York; Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate; and the top Democrats on the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations committees.

The Democrats say Trump has to deliver an explicit message to Putin.

They say, “The upcoming elections cannot be a playground for President Putin.”

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4:35 p.m.

A top member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is calling for President Donald Trump to “have the courage” to address election meddling when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA, said in a statement Thursday that Trump’s claims that “nobody really knows” who hacked the email accounts of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign officials may “directly undermine U.S. interests.”

Schiff says, “This is not putting America first, but continuing to propagate his own personal fiction at the country’s expense.”

Trump said in Poland on Thursday that he believes Russia meddling in the election but he says others may have as well, adding, “nobody really knows.”

Trump is scheduled to meet Putin for the first time on Friday.

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3:57 p.m.

President Donald Trump has arrived in Hamburg, Germany on the eve of his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

World leaders are gathering in the city for a meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers.

Trump spent the first half of the day in Poland, delivering a speech and holding a joint press conference with Poland’s president.

He’s set to meet later Thursday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and attend a Northeast Asia Security Dinner with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (jah-yihn) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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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 neighbours 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.

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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.

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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.

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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 defence 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 defence 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 defence. It has only been invoked once, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

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1:52 p.m.

President Donald Trump is praising Poland for honouring its defence 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 defence 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 per cent of their gross domestic product on the military, as Trump has urged.

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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 defence 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.

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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.

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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.

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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 neighbours 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.

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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 centre 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.”

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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 neighbouring 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Trump says he’s proud that the region is benefiting from U.S. energy supplies. Poland received a first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the U.S. last month.

Trump noted the region’s special significance to him. His wife, Melania, is a native of Slovenia, which belongs to the group.

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11:33 a.m.

Poland’s President says he hopes the European nation will “soon” sign a long-term contract for U.S. liquefied gas deliveries that will help it cut dependence on Russian imports.

Andrzej Duda (AHN-shay DOO-dah) spoke alongside visiting President Donald Trump who said America is ready to sign a deal “in 15 minutes” to help the region diversify its energy sources.

Russia has in the past used its gas and oil exports as a tool to exert political pressure.

Poland received its first, one-time U.S. liquid gas delivery last month and wants to continue receiving shipments and supply other nations in the region.

Duda said he hopes for a long-term contract soon but offered no date.

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11:05 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he agrees that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, but he is repeating his assertion that he believes “other countries” may have done the same.

Trump did not elaborate on which other countries he believes meddled in the 2016 election during his remarks in Warsaw, Poland Thursday. He says “nobody really knows for sure.”

He was speaking a day ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump also repeated his claims that former President Barack Obama knew that Russia was meddling in the election.

Trump said people say Obama “choked” but he believes Obama purposely “did nothing” because he thought Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the election.

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11:00 a.m.

The Polish first lady is hosting Melania Trump for tea during a brief visit as President Donald Trump attends events in the Polish capital.

Agata Kornhauser-Duda, 45, welcomed Mrs. Trump on Thursday to the Belvedere palace, a white palace fronted with four columns in the neo-Classical style.

Mrs. Trump was wearing a sleeveless jersey dress with a bright bold printed skirt by the Spanish fashion house Delpozo.

The first ladies will next visit the Copernicus Science Center, an interactive science museum geared heavily to young people.

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10:56 a.m.

President Donald Trump says unnecessary regulations have hindered America’s ability to expand energy investments.

Trump made his remarks Thursday in Warsaw, Poland, where he’ll attend a meeting of the Three Seas Initiative. The group includes leaders of the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas nations and aims to expand and modernize energy and trade with the goal of reducing the region’s dependence on Russian energy.

Trump says, “we’ve taken unnecessary regulations out of our process” adding that the U.S. is “blessed with great land” that can benefit others.

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10:53 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he’s considering some “very severe things” to respond to North Korea’s test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. But he adds that that doesn’t mean he’s going to follow through on them.

Trump says he wants to look at what happens over the coming weeks and months and calls North Korea’s behaviour “a shame.”

Trump says the North is behaving in a “very, very dangerous manner” and that something will have to be done about it.

North Korea launched the missile earlier this week. The issue will be a topic of discussion when Trump meets with world leaders in Germany later this week.

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10:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump is calling on nations to confront North Korea’s “very, very bad behaviour.”

Speaking in Poland Thursday, Trump called on nations to exert pressure on North Korea after this week’s ballistic missile launch.

He’s speaking at a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda (AHN-shay DOO-dah) in Warsaw.

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10:46 a.m.

President Donald Trump is praising Poland for the role it’s playing in helping to defeat the Islamic State group.

Trump says Polish armed forces help train Iraqi special forces and conduct reconnaissance missions. He also notes that Polish soldiers have fought and worked side by side with American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He says Poland is also host to 5,000 U.S. troops that serve as a deterrent to destabilizing behaviour by Russia.

Trump also notes that Poland is one of the few NATO members that spends 2 per cent of its gross domestic product on its military defence.

Trump spoke after meeting in Warsaw with Polish President Andrzej Duda (AHN-shay DOO-dah) and before a joint news conference.

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10:41 a.m.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda (AHN-shay DOO-dah) is praising President Donald Trump for “thinking very seriously” about Polish security.

Duda spoke at a joint press conference with Trump in Warsaw, Poland Thursday.

Duda stressed the need for greater trans-Atlantic security and energy co-operation. He also called for long-term liquefied natural gas deliveries as Poland looks to diversify its energy sources.

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10:04 a.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump plans to take questions at a joint news conference with Poland’s president.

Trump is meeting with Poland President Andrzej Duda (AHN-shay DOO-dah) in Warsaw to start a day of meetings and a speech in the city’s Krasinski Square.

The media event will be Trump’s first overseas news conference.

It will come ahead of the president’s high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and follow North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

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9:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda (AHN-zhay DOO-dah) as he begins his second foreign trip.

Trump arrived at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, shortly before 9:30 a.m. local time.

The two leaders exchanged an extended handshake in front of a white marble bust of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland, then posed for photos before commencing their closed-door meeting.

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9:28 a.m.

President Donald Trump is preparing to meet with his Polish counterpart as he kicks off a 16-hour visit to the eastern European nation.

Trump and Andrzej Duda (AHN-zhay DOO-dah) will be holding morning meetings and may hold a joint news conference later in the day.

Trump is also expected to deliver a keynote address to the Poles from Krasinski Square, the site of a monument commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis.

He’ll also be meeting with the heads of a dozen countries bordered by the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas known as the Three Seas Initiative. The group aims to expand and modernize energy and trade with the goal of reducing the region’s dependence on Russian energy.

It’s Trump’s second trip abroad as president.

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9:25 a.m.

Poland’s Jewish community is expressing deep “regret” that President Donald Trump has not scheduled a visit to a memorial honouring those who fought and died in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during his short visit to Warsaw.

The community issued a statement late Wednesday noting that all U.S. presidents and vice-presidents visiting Warsaw since 1989 had visited the monument, a tribute to the Jews who took up arms against all odds against the Nazi Germans in the Warsaw ghetto.

The statement said that, to the Jews of Poland, “this gesture meant recognition, solidarity and hope.”

It added: “We deeply regret that President Donald Trump, though speaking in public barely a mile away from the monument, chose to break with that laudable tradition, alongside so many other ones.”

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9:20 a.m.

Poland’s defence minister says the Trump administration has agreed to sell Poland a new batch of medium-range Patriot missiles to upgrade the European nation’s air defences.

Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement Thursday as President Donald Trump kicked off a day of meetings on defence and energy initiatives.

The purchase deal is still to be signed.

Warsaw is seeking to raise its defence potential amid Russia’s heightened military activity, some of it near Poland’s air space.

Macierewicz said the purchase could total some 30 billion zlotys (euro 7 billion.)

Trump is scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda (AHN-zhay DOO-dah) Thursday, as well as with the heads of a dozen countries bordered by the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas known as the Three Seas Initiative.

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

The Latest: Trump, Merkel consult ahead of G20 summit

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