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Why Trump Went to Warsaw

The founder of Poland’s Krytyka Polityczna unpacks the energy politics that lay behind the US president’s visit. Is an opening for US gas exports really in the country’s interest?

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Transcript

Transcript

It’s easy to see why Donald Trump wanted to visit Poland en route to the G20 summit in Hamburg. Poland is one of very few EU countries where he can be guaranteed a rapturous reception. In fact, Poland’s unelected de facto leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, has seen to it that crowds will be bussed in to cheer for Trump.

And of course, by speaking in Poland, which is widely regarded as Russia’s most vocal European critic, Trump looks less pro-Russian back home.

Trump’s visit coincides with the Three Seas Initiative summit. The initiative, which involves 12 EU countries, aims to bolster European energy cooperation and counter the effects of the German-Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline, which reinforces Russia’s monopoly in Europe.

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