Tensions between Russia and the West escalated over the weekend as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared he was putting Russia’s nuclear forces on “high alert.”

Poland and Canada have called for an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in response to Putin’s comments and the increasing risk of an accidental or intentional nuclear incident. The two countries made the request on behalf of Ukraine, which is not a member of the UN’s 35-nation nuclear watchdog group.

Wednesday’s emergency IAEA meeting agenda is set to include “the safety, security, and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine,” according to early reports in Reuters.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the IAEA has expressed concern as Russian forces seized the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident at a power plant.

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

In response to continued Russian aggression in Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda has called on members of the European Union to fast-track Ukraine’s path to membership.

As stated in his Twitter post from Saturday, “Candidate status should be granted right away, and membership talks should start immediately after.” Duda went on to stress that the country should gain access to EU funds for reconstruction, as “this is what Ukraine deserves.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly remarked that the European perspective would be a great motivation for Ukrainians to fight for their and their children’s future. In a tweet on Saturday, Zelensky said it was now a crucial moment to decide on Ukraine’s EU membership once and for all.

“In a phone conversation, I thanked Andrzej Duda for his personal leadership in granting Ukraine membership in the EU,” Zelensky wrote in the tweet. “The concrete daily assistance of Poland to our country is also invaluable. The relationship is a common history and, I am sure, a common European future.”

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Radio Gdańsk

As the first refugees from Ukraine began arriving in Trójmiasto, members of the Ukrainian community continue to pray for peace and perseverance for the Ukrainian nation.

Clergy and congregants at St. Bartholomew’s church in Gdańsk and the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Wrzeszcz have been conducting daily prayers for an end to the war in Ukraine.

The Greek Catholic Church in Poland previously called on all priests to “pray for peace in Ukraine, to avert war and bloodshed, to preserve the unity of the Ukrainian state, and to unite the Ukrainian nation.”

There are over a million citizens of Ukraine in Poland, and many of them have relatives still in their homeland. As one congregant told a reporter from Radio Gdańsk, “We are here, and our relatives are there. We want to support them spiritually.”

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Several hundred people participated in a rally of support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people at the Friends of Sopot Square over the weekend.

The rally, which took place on Saturday afternoon, began with the national anthems of Ukraine and Poland against a backdrop of flags from Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, and the European Union.

The President of Sopot, Jacek Karnowski, described Saturday’s meeting as an important way “to demonstrate solidarity towards people treacherously attacked in an independent country in Europe in the 21st century.” Karnowski went on to emphasize that Poles would continue to have solidarity with Ukrainians, and all Polish cities, from Sopot to Warsaw to Zakopane, were home to Ukrainians as well.

The municipality of Sopot announced on Saturday that the first war refugees from Ukraine had arrived in the city and were staying in the apartments of families and friends.

According to Marek Niziołek from the Sopot City Hall, the city “expect[s] an influx of more refugees, mainly women and children. Many of these people are directed by reception points established in border towns, while some of them come on their own to families already living in Poland, including our city.”

The city is asking for donations of clothing, food, and toiletries to support incoming refugees and is currently gathering information on those interested in volunteering to help. More information is available here.

An information point for those fleeing Ukraine is now open at the railway station in Gdańsk. The office is open every day from 8:00 to 20:00 and staffed by employees of the Pomeranian Voivodship who speak Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be mostly sunny and cold, with very little chance of rain and light winds from the south. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a high around 4°C, or 40°F, dropping to below freezing overnight with a low of -4°C or 24°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain returning at the end of the week.

EPeck/pb