Trump announced on Thursday he was cancelling his planned trip to Poland this weekend, saying he needed to stay and monitor Hurricane Dorian as it approached the southern state of Florida.
"To ensure that all resources of the federal government are focused on the arriving storm, I have decided to send our Vice President Mike Pence to Poland this weekend in my place," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump had been expected to deliver a speech at Piłsudski Square in central Warsaw on September 1, along with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
On Monday, September 2, Trump had been expected to hold face-to-face talks with Duda and meet Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Krzysztof Szczerski, a top aide to the Polish head of state, said the programme of commemorations of the World War II anniversary would not change.
"We will listen to the American message from Mike Pence. It will be the message of the United States,” Szczerski said.
Twenty presidents and 40 foreign delegations had been expected at the Warsaw ceremonies on Sunday.
Szczerski did not rule out that some countries would make changes to their delegations after Trump cancelled his visit.
(pk/gs)
Source: PAP