Story highlights
President accepted an invitation from President Andrzej Duda of Poland
The G20 will include Russian President Vladimir Putin
The White House announced that President Donald Trump will visit Poland during a trip to Europe next month for the G20 summit.
The President accepted an invitation from Polish President Andrzej Duda to visit before the international summit begins on July 7.
Poland, a more conservative-leaning government, provides a natural stop for Republican politicians.
“The visit will reaffirm America’s steadfast commitment to one of our closest European allies and emphasize the Administration’s priority of strengthening NATO’s collective defense,” read a statement from press secretary Sean Spicer’s office. There will be a “major speech” during the trip, a standard practice for presidents when they travel abroad.
The G20, a larger showing of international leaders than the G-7 summit, which is only seven nations, will include Russian President Vladimir Putin, a point of great interest as rumors and investigations of reported Russian meddling into the 2016 elections consume congressional hearings.
When asked by reporters on Friday whether the President would be meeting with Putin in Germany during the summit, a senior White House official said, “we’ll keep you posted.” The official did not rule out a meeting, saying that the individual meetings with international leaders would be decided closer to the date.
It will be the second foreign trip for Trump. His first trip oversees last month included an ambitious five-country swing in the span of a week.
The President touched a glowing orb, held bilateral meetings and established relationships with foreign leaders, even giving his cell phone number to newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron.
