
President Donald Trump browbeat Russia on Thursday for its 'destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran' and urged Vladimir Putin's government to join the U.S. and its allies in the global fight against terrorism.

Trump had refused earlier in the day to pin election hacking last year in the U.S. on the Kremlin, saying he thinks it was Putin's government, but it 'could have been other people in other countries.'

And he did not mention Russia by name in his remarks to the Polish people when he committed the U.S. to making sure Warsaw is 'never again held hostage to a single supplier of energy.'

But turning to threats against the West later in his speech in front a memorial to the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, Trump railed against 'the steady creep of government bureaucracy,' along with 'radical Islamic terrorism' and 'powers that seek to test our will, undermine our confidence and challenge our interests.'

'To meet new forms of aggression, including propaganda, financial crimes and cyber warfare, we must adapt our lives to compete effectively in new ways and on all new battlefields,' he said in a direct reference to Moscow's meddling.

Speaking to thousands of cheering Poles, Trump called their nation 'the geographic heart of Europe' and praising their countrymen for shaking off both Nazi oppressors and Russian occupiers in the last century.

'That's trouble. That's tough,' he exclaimed.

'In those dark days, you have lost your land but you never lost your pride.'

President Donald Trump questioned if the West has the 'will to survive' in a landmark speech in Warsaw on Thursday afternoon. He spoke at Krasinski Square in front of a monument commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis. The Warsaw Uprising was the largest act of resistance by any nation under the German occupation during World War II and the heroism of the insurgents remains a defining element in Polish national identity

Trump spoke in front of a crowd at Krasinski Square at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Thursday

Trump participates in a wreath laying ceremony before delivering a speech at Krasinski Square at the Royal Castle

Trump waves next to First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, Polish President Andrzej Duda and First Lady of Poland Agata Kornhauser-Duda before his public speech

People cheer as Trump delivers his landmark speech at Krasinski Square at the Royal Castle on Thursday morning

Ahead of his speech on Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump welcomed the crowd and introduced her husband

Trump delivered his address in Krasinski Square, at the foot of a statue commemorating the 1944 Polish uprising against German occupiers. He and first lady Melania Trump laid a wreath at its base.

Speaking behind bullet-proof glass, the president said Poles are 'a people who truly know the value of what you defend.'

He urged them to uphold 'a future in which good conquers evil.'

They repeatedly chanted 'USA, USA' and 'Donald Trump! Donald Trump!'

Trump had earlier met the Polish president and warned that the future of the West is in doubt.

In a speech to the public he praised Poland's 'will to survive' because they 'have never, ever forgotten who they are.'

'The Polish experience reminds us – the defense of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail,' Trump said.

'Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken.'

First Lady Melania Trump warmed up the crowd in Poland's capital city ahead of her husband's speech, saying that all people should be allowed to 'live their lives without fear'

The first lady said Thursday that guaranteeing the 'security' of the American people is the centerpiece of Trump's administration

During her introduction speech at Krasinski Square on Thursday Melania Trump said she hoped all around world could share in that safety

First Lady Melania walked alongside President Trump as they arrived at Krasinski Square on Thursday ahead of Trump's speech

Melania Trump, who is taking a prominent role in her husband's key overseas trip, also saluted the Polish people and their 'beautiful country'

Melania donned a navy blue dress with pink and blue stripes for the event on Thursday. She wore purple heels to finish off the outfit

And Trump projected his fight against Middle Eastern terrorism onto the template of Poland's historic struggles, saying, 'We are fighting hard against radical Islamic terrorism, and we will prevail.'

'America and Europe have suffered one terror attack after another. We are going to get it to stop,' he said. 'While we will always welcome new citizens who share our values and love our people, our borders will always be closed to terrorism and extremism of any kind.'

The president urged European nations to commit more of their money to NATO, as he said the organization's 'Article 5' commitment to mutual defense is an ironclad guarantee.

'Words are easy but actions are what matters,' he urged. 'Europe must do more. Europe must demonstrate that it believes in its future by investing its money to secure that future.'

At a press conference following his private talks with Andrzej Duda, Trump said North Korea would face 'consequences' for its intercontinental ballistic missile test.

He also admitted that Russia 'could have' interfered with the 2016 election and vowed to work with Poland on addressing threats from the country

Ivanka was beaming as she arrived at the speech hand-in-hand with husband Jared Kushner. The couple arrived in Warsaw on Air Force One with the president and first lady

Ivanka Trump smiles as she arrives in Krasinski Square, in Warsaw, with her husband Jared Kushner, senior adviser of Trump

Ivanka, who has taken a prominent role in her father's White House administration, arrived in Warsaw on Wednesday evening ahead of Trump's speech

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump took seats in the front row in Krasinski Square ahead of Trump's speech, for which Poles from around the country traveled to see

The pair held hands as they listened to the president made his speech, in which he Poland as the 'geographic heart of Europe'

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump applauded as they listened to Trump's speech, which he made from behind bulletproof glass

Trump's whirlwind visit to Warsaw came just before a meeting with Putin. He will travel next to Germany for Friday and Saturday's G20 summit, where he will sit down for talks with the Russian leader for the first time since taking office.

Trump's appearance alongside the Polish president will go down badly in Russia.

Trump's visit to Warsaw was coordinated with the Three Seas Initiative, which is a new 12-nation trade and economic bloc organized in part to limit Russia's power, especially in ways that diminish its dominance in the region's energy markets.

'To the citizens of this great region, America is eager to expand our partnership with you. We welcome stronger ties of trade and commerce as you grow your economies,' Trump said in his Krasinski Square speech. 'And we are committed to securing your access to alternate sources of energy, so Poland and its neighbors are never again held hostage to a single supplier of energy.'

North Korea's ballistic missile test the day the day before Trump left the U.S. moved the threat posed by Kim Jong-un's illicit nuclear activity up to the top of the American president's list of shared threats.

Trump spoke from Krasinski Square, the site of a monument commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against the Nazis

The Warsaw Uprising (its monument pictured above) was the largest act of resistance by any nation under the German occupation during World War II, and the heroism of the insurgents remains a defining element in Polish national identity

During World War II, the Germans suppressed the rebellion brutally, destroying most of Warsaw and killing around 200,000 people, most of them civilians. Pictured above, Trump and Melania observed the monument for the Warsaw Uprising

Donald Trump shake hands with veteran as dozens of others look on after delivering a speech in Krasinski Square in Warsaw, Poland on Thursday

Dozens of veterans watched Trump's speech from behind the stage on Thursday, sitting next to a monument for the Warsaw Uprising

At his joint press conference with Duda, Trump called on the global community to ensure there are 'consequences' for Pyongyang's belligerence and warned that he is considering a 'severe' response.

'I call on all nations to confront this global threat and publicly demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences for their very, very bad behavior,' he declared.

'I have pretty severe things that we're thinking about,' Trump said, addressing a question from DailyMail.com, but added: 'That doesn't mean that we'll do them.'

Trump later said that he was working with Poland on addressing threats from Russia and reiterated his calls for NATO members to meet their financial obligations.

Trump said that 'as a result' of his administration's pushing, 'billions of dollars' have begun to pour into NATO.

'In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more are coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly.'

Trump commemorated Polish and Jewish history in his speech as dozens of veterans looked on. Pictured above, Melania, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda listen to Trump's speech

Trump shook hands with several veterans who listened to the speech as he left Krasinski Square and headed for Germany

Crowds waving US, confederate and Polish flags gathered in and around a Warsaw square where Trump delivered his first public speech in Europe

Some Trump supporters tied a 'Make America Great Again' banner to a barrier fence ahead of the speech. Nearby attendees wore hats bearing the same slogan

While some people carried flags, some banners on display in Krasinski Square featured the right-wing, pro-government Gazeta Polska newspaper.

One man kept his supportive sign straight and to the point: He simply carried around a photo of President Donald Trump to the rally

'To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment,' he said, checking an important box in his remarks for European leaders who have worried about that his warnings to pay up or else meant the U.S. was rethinking its involvement in the international organization.

Trump heaped praise on Poland for paying up.

He told the Polish people, 'You were supported in that victory over communism by a strong alliance of free nations in the West that defied tyranny. Now, among the most committed members of the NATO Alliance, Poland has resumed its place as a leading nation of a Europe that is strong, whole, and free.'

'A strong Poland is a blessing to the nations of Europe, and they know that. A strong Europe is a blessing to the West and to the world.'

As Krasinski Square filled with people, crowds are gathered in neighboring streets, where screens have been set up for viewing

In the center of the square, several rows of seats were set up for guests while others sat in nearby bleachers and behind barriers

Former president Lech Walesa is among the special guests in the VIP section. Poland's leaders promised Trump a warm welcome before he heads to Germany later Thursday for a summit of the world's developed and developing nations

Trump's speech came just days after Independence Day in the United States and ahead of his appearance at the G20 Summit in Germany

There were so many attendees at the event that some crowded into a glass-enclosed bus stop to watch Trump deliver his speech

Trump addressed thousands of Poles from Krasinski Square, site of the Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupation. More than 150,000 Poles died during the struggle to overthrow oppression

Some supporters in the crowd made T-shirts reading 'Make Poland Great Again' a phrase that played on Trump's 'MAGA' campaign slogan

Noting the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I, which he will celebrate formally next week in Paris, France, Trump said' the transatlantic bond between the United States and Europe is as strong as ever and maybe, in many ways, even stronger.'

'This continent no longer confronts the specter of communism. But today we’re in the West, and we have to say there are dire threats to our security and to our way of life,' he said. 'You see what’s happening out there. They are threats. We will confront them. We will win. But they are threats.'

Duda for his part said he believed Trump took Poland's security seriously.

'We see ourselves as loyal partners who cooperate on a number of issues, among others on security,' Duda said at the news conference.

POLAND'S FIGHTING SPIRIT THROUGHOUT HISTORY As Donald Trump delivered his speech in Warsaw, he praised Poland's history of fighting for survival, including against Nazi rule during the Second World War. The President told listeners: ‘Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken.’ In fact, Poland was broken - literally - for a large part of its history. From 1795 until 1918, the country did not exist at all having been partitioned by the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy Following the collapse of these empires at the end of the First World War, Poland was able to reestablish itself having kept its culture alive through 200 years of foreign governance via resistance movements and educational institutions. While an independent Polish state with access to the sea was established as part of the Treaty of Versailles, various border disputed raged between 1919 and 1921, including one against the Soviets. In August 1920 the Russian army was advancing on Warsaw having already claimed several victories over the Polish, and looked on the verge of crushing their army and perhaps crumbling the country once more. But the city marked as far as the Soviets would get - the Polish stopped the advance, forcing the Russian into a messy retreat which saw their army crippled and the war won. That would not be the last time Poland would have to fight for its survival, however, as it was invaded and occupied by both the Nazis and the Russians during the Second World War. After Hitler broke his non-aggression pact with Stalin in September 1939, he marched his troops into Poland before the Soviets attacked back later the same month. The two sides eventually reached an impasse, and decided to partition Poland once more between Germany and Russia. Under the two occupations, Polish citizens suffered enormous human and material losses. It is thought about 5.7 million Polish citizens died as a result of the German occupation and about 150,000 died as a result of the Soviet occupation. Hitler began the process of hunting down Poland's Jewish population and putting them to death in concentration camps, with an estimated 90 per cent of Polish Jews, around three million people, murdered. Meanwhile the Soviets stirred up resentment of native Poles among the Jewish, Ukrainias, Belarusian and Lithuanian minorities and used this to repress them. Most of those killed were Polish priosners of war who were exterminated in a 'reign of terror' perpetrated by the NKVD, or Soviet secret police. The most infamous instance came in 1940, when around 22,000 Polish army officers, police, and intellectuals were murdered in the Katyn Massacre - named after the Russian forest where many mass graves were found. The country was also the staging point for Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's full-scale Blitzkrieg invasion of the Soviets which began in June 1941. The attack brought Poland wholly under Nazi control from then until 1944, when Stalin began recapturing the territory as he pushed west to Berlin. For his speech, Trump stood in front of a monument to the Warsaw Uprising which was the largest rebellion against Nazi rule by any resistance group during the war. The Poles fought against the Germans for 63 days, killing 16,000 Nazi soldiers and destroying hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces, in the expectation that the Red Army would imminently arrive in the city, liberating it. But Stalin actually halted his advance several miles away, leaving the resistance to fight completely unaided against Hitler’s forces - only moving in after they were destroyed and the city had been raised to the ground. After the war was over, a deal struck between Stalin and other Allied leaders at the end of the war left Poland under Soviet Union control and Communist rule. This decision would prove deeply unpopular in the decades that followed, as the country suffered widespread repression by their rulers, which rebuilt themselves after the fall of the Soviet empire as Russia, and watched capitalist Europe advance rapidly while their economy languished. Russia’s decades-long failure to acknowledge another massacre, this time in Katyn in which 20,000 Poles were killed by Stalin’s secret police, served only to heighten tensions further. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, Poland signalled its desire to join both Nato and the EU, pulling rapidly away from the sphere of Kremlin influence. In 1999 it joined Nato having earlier backed out of the Warsaw Pact, a rival alliance including Russia which collapsed in 1991. Then, in 2004, it became a member of the European Union. Today it is one of America’s closest allies in Europe, and was supposed to play host to a missile defense installation designed to protect against Russian nukes, a move which greatly angered Moscow. While that installation was cancelled in favour of a ship-based missile deterrent, Poland will still host an American radar array which is due to be completed next year. It is perhaps because of this history that Trump used his speech in Warsaw to issue his biggest rebuke to Putin yet – calling for an end to aggression in Ukraine and Syria. Advertisement

Following his speech, Trump and his wife departed from Warsaw and headed for Germany on Air Force One ahead of the G20 Summit

It was also confirmed that Trump accepted an invitation to visit the small central European nation that is the homeland of his wife Melania following his speech

Demonstrators dressed in costumes resembling those from Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale attended a Trump protest in Warsaw on Thursday

The costumes resemble those worn in a new television series based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel in which women - dubbed 'breeders' - are forced to give birth and have no control over their bodies. Poland is currently embattled in a large debate over banning abortion

Poland has month the tightest abortion laws in Europe, and a proposal last year sought to ban all abortions unless a mother's life was at risk. Demonstrators at Thursday's protest wore pins that read 'Together' in Polish

Dozens of protesters showed up at the speech on Thursday, with some carrying signs that read 'Trump Not Welcome' and 'Dump Trump'

Trump said then that Russia 'could have' interfered with the 2016 US presidential election which saw him take victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

He added, however, that he's not totally convinced that Russia was the sole meddler, contrasting claims from four U.S. intelligence agencies which said the effort was directed by Putin and emanated from Moscow.

'I think it was Russia, and it could have been other people in other countries,' Trump said. 'Nobody really knows.'

He added that the U.S. Intelligence Community has made high-profile mistakes in the past, so 'nobody really knows for sure.'

The president sought to redirect any scrutiny toward his predecessor, Barack Obama, accusing him of allowing Moscow to meddle on his watch.

President Donald Trump questioned whether the West has the 'will to survive' in a landmark speech in Warsaw on Thursday

Trump held a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday after the pair had private talks

At a press conference following his private talks with Andrzej Duda, Trump said North Korea would face 'consequences' for its intercontinental ballistic missile test

He also admitted that Russia interfered with the 2016 election and vowed to work with Poland on addressing threats from the country

Though the Obama administration warned Russia publicly and privately before Election Day to stop interfering, questions have since been raised about whether he acted aggressively enough to stop the threat.

'They say he choked. Well, I don't think he choked,' Trump said. 'I think he thought Hillary Clinton was going to win the election, and he said, "Let's not do anything about it".'

Trump said the CIA had informed Obama about the hacking months before the election but added that 'mistakes have been made.'.

He also took a question from DailyMail.com about a domestic tempest that developed this week over a video clip he tweeted on Sunday, depicting himself body-slamming a pro wrestling mogul whose face was superimposed with CNN's logo.

CNN quickly condemned the tweet and assigned a reporter to find out where the viral meme originated.

At a joint press conference between Trump and Duda, the US president called on the global community to ensure there are 'consequences' for Pyongyang's belligerence and warned that he is considering a 'severe' response

Trump later said that he was working with Poland on addressing threats from Russia and reiterated his calls for NATO members to meet their financial obligations

Trump's whirlwind visit to Warsaw comes just days before he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin. He will next travel to Germany for Friday and Saturday's G20 summit

Trump and Duda shook hands for photo ops several times on Thursday, including after their joint press conference

By Thursday the network was under fire for allegedly threatening to reveal the name of a person it said created the video.

But CNN appears to have gotten it wrong, using the wrong version of the doctored footage as the basis for their interview with the unnamed man.

'I think what CNN did is unfortunate for them,' Trump said at the press conference. 'As you know they have some pretty serious problems.

'They have been fake news for a long time. They have been covering me in a very, very dishonest way.'

Trump then turned to Duda and asked, 'Do you have that also, Mr President?', to which Duda shrugged.

'What CNN did – and what others did, NBC is equally as bad despite the fact that I made them a fortune with "The Apprentice," but they forgot that,' Trump said.

'What I will say is that CNN has really taken it too seriously and I think they've hurt themselves very badly, very, very badly. And what we want to see in the United States is honest, beautiful, free, but honest press. We want to see fair press.'

'I think it's a very important thing. We don't want fake news. By the way, not everybody is fake news. But we don't want fake news. Bad thing. It's very bad for our country,' Trump concluded.

Trump talks with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, center right, as they arrive for a group photo prior to the Three Seas Initiative transatlantic roundtable in the Great Assembly Hall of the Royal Castle, in Warsaw

Trump talks to Duda as US ambassador to Poland Paul W Jones looks on during the Three Seas Initiative Summit on Thursday

Duda, center, speaks with Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic as Trump makes a comment during the Three Seas Initiative transatlantic roundtable in the Great Assembly Hall of the Royal Castle

The group who attended the initiative includes leaders of the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas nations and aims to expand and modernize energy and trade with the goal of reducing the region's dependence on Russian energy

While at the Royal Castle, President Trump and Duda (not pictured) attended a meeting together

Following the press conference, Trump attended a meeting of the Three Seas Initiative.

The group includes leaders of the Baltic, Adriatic and Black seas nations and aims to expand and modernize energy and trade with the goal of reducing the region's dependence on Russian energy.

While at the meeting, Trump pledged that the United States will never use energy to coerce eastern and central European nations, adding that the United States won't allow other nations to coerce them either.

Trump said he's proud that the region is benefiting from US energy supplies. Poland received a first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States last month.

Trump noted the region's special significance to him. His wife, Melania, is a native of Slovenia, which belongs to the group.

He then claimed that everyone is benefiting from the thriving US economy except for him.

He bragged of recent stock market gains, but said: 'Personally, I've picked up nothing.'

President Donald Trump is greeted by Polish President Andrzej Duda as he visits Poland during the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Warsaw on Thursday

Poland's ruling party sees itself as a Euroskeptic regime along the lines of last year's Brexit movement in the United Kingdom

The US president's unapologetic brand of nationalism is seen as its idealized complement, aligning Washington and Warsaw in a push against a Berlin-dominated Europe

Trump and Duda shook hands at the Royal Castle in front of a white marble bust of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, the last king of Poland

The leaders then retreated to a room decorated with red walls for their private talks, where they also posed for photos

Asked how he felt about the trip, Trump, who is on a whirlwind 16-hour trip in Poland said 'Great'

'That's all right,' he said. 'Everyone else is getting very rich. That's OK. I'm very happy.'

Trump gave his two adult sons and a senior executive control of his global real estate, property management and marketing empire when he took office in January. But Trump did not divest his businesses.

Instead he placed his financial assets in a trust that he can seize control of at any time.

Busloads of Trump supporters were sent to Warsaw to see Trump speak on Thursday in Krasinski Square, where a monument stands to a 1944 popular uprising against German occupation.

In every corner of Poland, citizens were offered free transportation to Warsaw if they wanted to be a part of the Trump show.

Polish President Duda gave Trump a tour of the royal castle on Thursday ahead of their joint press conference

Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump met with Poland's First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda at the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw

Trump's daughter, Ivanka, visited the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw on Thursday

'I am here today not just to visit an old ally, but to hold it up as an example for others who seek freedom and who wish to summon the courage and the will to defend our civilization,' Trump told his fans.

The words 'courage,' 'will' and 'civilization' were capitalized for emphasis in the snippets the White House sent to reporters.

The United States is serious about the security of its ally Poland, Duda said on Wednesday after his meeting with Trump.

'We see ourselves as loyal partners who cooperate on a number of issues, among others on security,' Duda told the joint news conference. 'I have a feeling that the United States is serious about Poland's security.'

Trump has made a point of attacking what adviser Steve Bannon has derided as 'the bureaucratic state,' rolling back regulations that he says are choking free enterprise and dampening the American economy.

Trump will praise 'the triumph of the Polish spirit over centuries of hardship' in a landmark speech in Warsaw, the White House said Thursday morning

The two presidents met at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Thursday morning head of Trump's landmark speech

Thursday's joint appearance with Duda at Warsaw's royal castle was originally billed as a press conference

Trump, like Poland's President Andrzej Duda, is aligned against the European Union's bureaucracies

'The West became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase their dreams and pursue their destinies,' Trump's speech added.

'Americans, Poles, and the nations of Europe value individual freedom and sovereignty,' he said.

'We must work together to confront forces, whether they come from inside or out, from the South or the East, that threaten over time to undermine these values and to erase the bonds of culture, faith and tradition that make us who we are. If left unchecked, these forces will undermine our courage, sap our spirit, and weaken our will to defend ourselves and our societies.'

Trump, like Poland's president, is aligned against the European Union's bureaucracies.

Flag-waving Poles lined Trump's motorcade route on Wednesday night, but critics pointed out that the government had paid to bus in thousands from Poland's far-flung provinces.

Duda's government had reportedly promised his American counterpart a hero's welcome as a condition of visiting Poland.

Like the Trump administration, Duda's government is staking its claim on a desire to limit the numbers of refugees it resettles even as European Union leaders press Warsaw to open its borders

Trump will speak to the leaders of Three Seas Initiative nations and address the Polish people at Warsaw's Krasinski Square later in the da

The White House later described the meeting as a 'press event', which raised concerns that Trump wouldn't be taking questions from reporters

The pair met between flags of each nation before heading into a discussion about the European Union

Poland's ruling party sees itself as a Euroskeptic regime along the lines of last year's Brexit movement in the United Kingdom.

The US president's unapologetic brand of nationalism is seen as its idealized complement, aligning Washington and Warsaw in a push against a Berlin-dominated Europe.

Like the Trump administration, Duda's government is staking its claim on a desire to limit the numbers of refugees it resettles even as European Union leaders press Warsaw to open its borders.

'The Polish government has the same position as Americans – we want strict restrictions on refugees,' legislator Krzysztof Mróz told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Thursday's joint appearance with Duda at Warsaw's royal castle was originally billed as a press conference.

By Tuesday, however, the White House began describing it in advisories to reporters as a 'press event', raising concerns that Trump wouldn't take reporters' questions.

Trump (his motorcade pictured above) will speak to the leaders of Three Seas Initiative nations and address the Polish people at Warsaw's Krasinski Square

Trump's whirlwind visit to Warsaw comes on the front end of a journey to Germany for Friday and Saturday's G20 summit

Trump arrives on a state visit at the Okecie Airport, Warsaw President Donald Trump visit to Poland on Wednesday

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive on a state visit at the Okecie Airport in Warsaw on Tuesday evening

Also on the trip to Warsaw were Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner

On Thursday morning the White House confirmed that the press conference would indeed include a Q&A from at least four journalists.

Trump's ongoing media war has tended to overshadow talk of his domestic and foreign agendas, a condition he could ill afford as he launched his second diplomacy tour in six weeks.

Duda, too, rolled the dice by allowing American journalists to question his government's clampdown on press freedoms in the last year.

Protesters blockaded the Polish parliament in December after the ruling Law and Justice party restricted the number of journalists allowed in the building and limited which TV networks could record proceedings there.

European Council President Donald Tusk quickly invoked the word 'dictatorship' to warn Duda, as his government blamed protesters for staging an 'illegal attempt to seize power.'

Demonstrators shouted 'Solidarity!' – a throwback to the communist-era movement led by then-dissident trade unionist Lech Wałęsa, who later became president.

Unlike past US presidents, Trump did not meet with him in Poland. Duda's right-wing government has sought to downplay Wałęsa's role in Poland's history.

Wałęsa, however, was in the crowd for Trump's speech.