Trump reshuffles US ties with its Europe partners

DONALD Trump holds on Wednesday his first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic with a world leader, Polish President Andrzej Duda. His strong relationship with Mr Duda highlights the way that US policy toward Europe is being re-calibrated towards stronger ties with states like Poland that have pro-Trump leaders but weaker relationships with some traditional allies, especially Germany.

For while Mr Duda is likely to get a glowing endorsement from Mr Trump ahead of the Polish presidential election on Sunday, other European leaders - especially in western European countries which have long been strong US allies - have been "frozen out". Take the example of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has long had a difficult, frosty relationship with the US president.

The latest evidence of this came only earlier this month when Dr Merkel was reportedly the only G7 leader to refuse to travel to the White House because of the ongoing severity of the coronavirus pandemic for the now-postponed leadership meeting of the West's largest economies.