Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared optimistic about the potential to revive the United Nations-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative after meeting on Monday in Sochi with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey in the summer of 2022, was designed to safeguard the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and help alleviate a global food crisis.
Russia quit the agreement last July, saying its own exports of food and fertilizer faced serious obstacles, according to reports by Reuters.
Moscow has since carried out a series of strikes on Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea and the Danube River, which news outlets report has now become the main route for Ukrainian grain exports.
The Ukrainian port city of Izmail, across the Danube from NATO-member Romania, came under drone attack earlier this week and again this morning, reportedly killing at least one person and damaging local infrastructure.
Turkey and the UN are seeking to persuade Putin to return to the grain deal, Reuters reported, with Erdogan claiming he was close to brokering a return to the grain deal that kept Ukraine’s grain exports “separate” from the war.
Today is day 560 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio, Reuters
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak recently signed several contracts for the delivery of new military equipment for Poland’s armed forces, including Patriot air defense batteries and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Błaszczak officially approved the contracts on Tuesday at the 31st International Defense Industry Exhibition in the south-central city of Kielce.
According to officials, the agreements, worth PLN 100 billion (EUR 22.3 billion), include 48 new batteries of the US-made Patriot medium-range air defense system, components for the Narew short-range air defense system, equipment for two new Naval Rocket Units, and some 1,700 Polish-made FlyEye observation drones.
As Błaszczak pointed out during yesterday’s ceremony, the signed agreements will strengthen Poland’s security, echoing previous promises by the PiS party that Poland will have “the strongest land army in Europe” in the coming years.
President Andrzej Duda also praised the new agreements, stating that the new military equipment ordered on Tuesday would help “ensure the security of Poland and all its residents, as well as our neighbors and the whole eastern flank of the NATO alliance.”
Duda added that Poland was determined “to defend every inch of its land” and hailed the country’s developing “state-of-the-art air defense system,” which he said was “going to be the most advanced in Europe.”
Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk
The EuroSkills 2023 Industry Competition Games kicked off last night in Gdańsk with performances by Polish pop stars, including Kamil Bednarek, Dj Gromee, Tetiana Galitsyna, and Tony Dream.
During yesterday’s ceremony, the city of Gdańsk officially welcomed some 600 qualified young professionals under the age of 25 who had traveled to Poland from some 32 countries to participate in competitions and demonstrations in 43 different skills and professions.
Professions represented in the competition include traditional vocations such as cooking, floristry, hairdressing, welding, and roofing, as well as more modern disciplines, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, mobile robotics, heavy machinery operation, and aviation equipment maintenance.
In addition to highlighting the main goals of the WorldSkills initiative, such as improving professional qualifications and exchanging best practices, the competition includes shows, performances, and conferences, as well as a chance for representatives of leading companies from around the world to connect with potential employees.
Organizers expect around 100,000 participants in the event, with Gdańsk residents advised to be aware of traffic changes around the Polsat Plus Arena in Gdańsk and the neighborhood of Letnica.
This year’s 8th edition of EuroSkills was initially supposed to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia, but was moved to Gdańsk, Poland, after the WorldSkills Europe Association excluded Russia from participation due to the invasion of Ukraine.
More information on the competition can be found on the WorldSkills Poland website.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
The Polish men’s volleyball team defeated Denmark 3-0 in their penultimate group-stage EuroVolley match in Skopje, North Macedonia last night.
The victory marks the Polish team’s fourth straight win at the Men’s European Volleyball Championship, which runs until September 16.
The White and Red are set to take on Montenegro in the final group-stage match tonight at 17:00 CEST.
Source: Polskie Radio, eurovolley.cev.eu
Poland’s Jan Zieliński and partner Hugo Nys of Monaco lost in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles competition in New York last night, ending hopes of a Polish podium spot at the US Open.
The 9th-ranked pair, who last May won the men’s doubles at the Italian Open tournament in Rome, lost in a hard-fought three sets (4-6, 6-2, 3-6) to the 2nd-ranked American-Croatian duo of Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig.
Fellow Pole Magda Linette also advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition with partner Bernarda Pera of the US, but the team was defeated on Monday by the American duo of Sophie Chang and Alycia Parks.
In the singles competition, world No. 1 Iga Świątek was knocked out in the Round of 16 last Monday by Latvian Jeļena Ostapenko, with fellow Poles Hubert Hurkacz, Magda Linette, and Magda Fręch all bowing out in the second round of the tournament.
The 2023 US Open runs until September 10.
Source: Polskie Radio, wtatennis.com, atptour.com
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming from the northwest. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with an afternoon high of 23°C or 73°F, dropping to a low of 14°C or 58°F overnight. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for some clouds and higher temps moving into the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck/aKa
