US President Donald Trump warned that the future of the West was at risk and lashed out at Russia and North Korea on Thursday at the start of a high-stakes trip to Europe.
On the eve of what is likely to be a prickly G20 summit, with Mr Trump facing animosity from traditional US allies, he will use a landmark address in Warsaw to warn that a lack of collective resolve could doom an alliance that endured through the Cold War.
“The defence of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail,” Mr Trump will say, according to excerpts released by the White House.
“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” he said. In Poland, a country deeply wary of Moscow’s increasing military assertiveness in its backyard, Mr Trump also offered rare criticism of Russia.
During the speech at Krasinski Square — which memorialises the Warsaw uprising against Nazi occupation — Mr Trump will point to Poland as an example of resolve in the defence of Western traditions.
“We must work together to counter forces, whether they come from inside or out,” he said.
