WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's second official visit to Europe (all times local):
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.
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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 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.
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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 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.
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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 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."
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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 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.
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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 behavior "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 behavior."
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 behavior by Russia.
Trump also notes that Poland is one of the few NATO members that spends 2 percent of its gross domestic product on its military defense.
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 cooperation. 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 honoring 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 defense 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 defenses.
Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement Thursday as President Donald Trump kicked off a day of meetings on defense and energy initiatives.
The purchase deal is still to be signed.
Warsaw is seeking to raise its defense 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.
