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U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Poland for one day in early July on his way to the G20 summit in Hamburg. The occasion will be an event organized by Poland with Eastern European countries in attendance, along with the Baltic, and Balkan nations. Regional trade and infrastructure will be discussed, reported Reuters.
“Brussels diplomats view the July 6 gathering, dubbed the Three Seas summit because the countries involved border the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas, as a Polish bid to carve out influence outside the European Union with which the nationalist government has repeatedly clashed,” wrote Reuters.
Trump seems to be focused on growing American energy exports and will discuss the region reducing dependence on Russian natural gas, and increasing use of American LNG.
“One cannot but feel a bit suspicious if it isn’t an attempt to break up European unity,” said an EU diplomat said about the Three Seas project, reported Reuters.
Poland and Hungary, as well as the Czech Republic have been locked in a pitched battle with the European Union over sovereignty and EU directives such as the acceptance of migrants, which the Eastern European countries have refused to do.
Brussels is also worried about Trump’s continued call for NATO members to spend their required 2% of GDP on national defense. “We are not sure what Trump’s message is going to be … If he is here to reinforce Washington’s commitment to (NATO’s mutual defense principle)? Great!,” one EU diplomat said.
“What if he makes it conditional, to be based on meeting the … spending goal? This would cause a lot of damage,” reported Reuters.
