Poland expressed understanding of US President Donald Trump’s decision to postpone his state visit to the Eastern European country due to the possibly destructive Hurricane Dorian approaching the US east coast, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said.
Trump was scheduled to visit Poland from August 31 to September 2 to participate in a World War II commemoration ceremony. However, the official US National Hurricane Forecast has predicted that Dorian, which is headed toward Florida, will reach a Category 4 strength. Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has declared a state of emergency in preparation for the hurricane.
“The decision is completely understandable. This is a serious threat. We all remember the previous hurricane [Irma], which affected Florida, threatened US citizens’ lives and brought material damage,” Blaszczak said during an interview with Polskie Radio broadcaster.
The minister added that during Trump’s visit, he planned to discuss with the US president the final details of the US plan to move more troops into Poland, saying that following talks with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the documents for the move had been finalized.
On Thursday, DeSantis, sent a letter to Trump requesting a pre-landfall disaster declaration in order to secure necessary resources and assistance, including emergency protective measures, from the federal government ahead of the hurricane.
Trump has ordered Vice President Mike Pence to visit Poland in his place and promised to reschedule his trip for a later time. (UNI)
