Closing summary
… and on that note, it’s a wrap!
The US president, Donald Trump, has said he was not considering pulling US troops out of Poland (17:52, 18:08) and pledged to stand with Warsaw “all the way” during a meeting with the country’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, at the White House (15:50).
Trump’s comments were welcomed by Polish leaders (19:49), offering some relief after months of speculations about the future of US military presence in Poland (18:28).
During the meeting, Trump also said he was “not happy” with the number of people dying during the Russian invasion on Ukraine, and stressed he wanted it “stopped now” (18:18).
The US president said he would respond to Putin’s decision on the peace process, warning: “If we are unhappy about it, you will see things happen” (17:55).
The Washington meeting came just hours before tomorrow’s summit of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy set to join a group of leaders for futher talks on security guarantees for Ukraine.
The host, French president Emmanuel Macron, declared on Wednesday night that Europe was “ready to provide security guarantees” once a peace deal is agreed, signalling further progress in planning discussions behind the scenes (19:25).
The leaders will talk with Trump on Thursday to discuss next steps, the Élysée Palace confirmed (18:50).
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with the Nordic and Baltic leaders in Denmark (15:12, 15:16).
Meanwhile, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin suggested he would be ready to meet with Zelenskyy if the Ukrainian president came over to Moscow (16:01, 16:22, 19:40), an offer immediately rejected by Kyiv (17:16).
And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected].
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Polish leaders welcome Trump's words on US troops presence in Poland
Despite domestic political disagreements in the build up to Nawrocki’s visit to Washington, a number of senior Polish government figures have welcomed Trump’s reassurances that he was not looking to reduce the number of US troops in Poland.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, who will take part in tomorrow’s Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, said:
“President Trump has just declared that the United States had no plans, and does not plan in the future, to withdraw American troops from Poland. These are important words that confirm the timeless nature of our alliance.”
Deputy prime minister and defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said:
“An important declaration by President @realDonaldTrump about the presence of American troops in Poland. This is proof that the strategic [Polish-American] alliance, which is one of the foundations of our security, is extremely strong.”
Deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said:
“It is good that President Trump confirmed the continued stationing of American troops in Poland. On matters of security, deterring Putin, and supporting Ukraine, the government and the opposition speak with one voice.”
