United States Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a joint statement as part of a meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda at Belvedere palace in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. (Photo: AP)

US Vice President Mike Pence has accused Russia of seeking to divide the Western alliance with its energy reserves, nuclear weapons and “its efforts to meddle in elections across Europe and around the world.”

Pence made his remarks Wednesday in Warsaw, where he began a four-day visit to Europe. Earlier in the day he met with hundreds of Polish troops and US soldiers serving in the country.

The visit comes as Poland is seeking a permanent US base on its soil due to fears of a resurgent Russia.

In remarks to reporters after a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Pence acknowledged Polish fear, saying that “no threat looms larger in Poland than the specter of aggression from your neighbor to the east.”

He said: “Moscow seeks to divide our alliance, with its oil and gas reserves, with its new arsenal of nuclear weapons, and with its efforts to meddle in elections across Europe and around the world.”

Iran says a US-sponsored conference taking place in Warsaw is an attempt by the United States “to demonize” the country’s role in the Middle East and to undermine the U.N. Security Council..

The Iranian government issued what it called a “non-paper” on Wednesday that said the Trump administration’s “malicious intentions” for the ministerial meeting were clear even though a high-ranking Polish representative assured Tehran the gathering is not intended “to be targeting Iran.”

Iran’s U.N. Mission shared the paper with The Associated Press.

It says the meeting’s “intended goals and biased agenda” are likely to escalate “the distrust, chaos, crisis and conflict in the region, which is already deeply suffering from multiple tragic catastrophes.”

The conference is starting amid uncertainty over its aims and questions about what it will deliver.

The Trump administration initially billed it as an Iran-focused meeting. Organizers have broadened the scope to include issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the fight against the Islamic State group.

Israel’s prime minister has held a rare public meeting with the foreign minister of the Gulf Arab state of Oman at a US-sponsored Mideast conference in Poland.

In a video released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the Omani foreign minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, said people in the Middle East have “suffered a lot” because they stick to the past. He said Wednesday’s meeting reflects a “new era” for the region.

Netanyahu paid a surprise visit to Oman in November, calling it a “courageous decision” by the country’s sultan to invite him.

Netanyahu frequently boasts of warming behind-the-scenes contacts with Arab leaders, who very rarely appear in public with the Israeli prime minister.

Netanyahu said “many” are following Oman’s lead, “and, may I say, including at this conference.”