Republican US presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who will be in Poland next week, has accused President Barack Obama of “abandoning” Poland.

Mr Romney made the accusation in a speech to US war veterans in Nevada on July 24.

The Republican accused Mr Obama of appeasement towards Russia saying “it began with the sudden abandonment of friends in Poland and the Czech Republic. They had courageously agreed to provide sites for our anti-missile systems, only to be told, at the last hour, that the agreement was off,” said Mr Romney.

“As part of the so-called reset in policy, missile defenses were sacrificed as a unilateral concession to the Russian government,” he added, referring to Mr Obama's cancellation of an idea initiated by former US President George W. Bush, to install an anti-ballistic missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic, a plan which Russia had opposed.

Mitt Romney however neglected to add that Barack Obama had presented an alternative missile-defense shield which will have elements located in Poland.

Mr Romney starts a six-day overseas tour on Wednesday, which will take in Poland.

He will visit the UK and Israel before arriving in Gdańsk on July 30 where will meet with the legendary Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa. Mr Romney is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Bronisław Komorowski while in Poland.