Obama embarks on Euro trip

Obama landed Tuesday in Poland, his first stop, on a mission to reassure nervous allies in Eastern Europe after Russia's incursion into Ukraine, CNN reports. His three-nation journey comes as Republicans have unleashed a new line of attack against his judgment -- his decision to exchange five Taliban prisoners who were held at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the return of former prisoner of war, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Obama will have an opportunity to address the criticism at a news conference in Warsaw on Tuesday. Speaking alongside Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Obama will announce a fund of up to $1 billion to allow for a "European Reassurance Initiative." This will help the United States to undertake increased training exercises in Europe, explore the pre-positioning of military equipment, and build the capacity of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to partner with the United States and NATO. The President also is expected to reassure allies in the Asia-Pacific region that this move will not come at their expense. He is due to hold talks later with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries. As he was greeted by Komorowski, Obama hailed Poland as "one of our great friends and one of our strongest allies in the world." He added, "I'm starting the visit here because our commitment to Poland's security as well as the security of our allies in Central and Eastern Europe is a cornerstone of our own security and it is sacrosanct." Full story