Poland’s foreign minister has called on the US Congress to approve President Biden’s USD 61 billion package of military aid for Ukraine, warning that if Russia conquers Ukraine, the consequences would be “catastrophic.”
In an interview with US broadcaster CNN on Monday night, Polish FM Radosław Sikorski said Ukraine must be “given the tools” to repel the Russian invasion, adding that Ukrainian defense forces had already destroyed “half of the Russian army.”
Poland’s top diplomat went on to warn that “the cost of deterring Putin after he conquers Ukraine would be much higher than the cost of keeping the Ukrainians supplied now.”
Sikorski called on US lawmakers to greenlight the White House’s new military support package for Kyiv, which has been held up by Congressional Republicans demanding that President Biden pair continued Ukraine aid with tougher US border policies.
Today is day 686 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Radio Poland
Polish police detained a former interior minister and his deputy at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw yesterday, carrying out a court order to take the two men to prison to serve a two-year sentence for abuse of power.
Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik were detained on Tuesday night, escalating a standoff over the case between President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, according to reports by the Reuters news agency.
Kamiński and Wąsik, MPs with the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, were due to be taken to prison after being convicted of abuse of power while heading Poland’s anti-corruption service CBA.
On Monday, President Duda met with Szymon Hołownia, the speaker of Poland’s Sejm, in an attempt to convince him that the 2015 pardon for Kamiński was valid and the court had no right to give a second verdict. The two reportedly did not reach an agreement, and on Tuesday, Hołownia postponed this week’s parliamentary session until next week to “ensure the dignity of the Sejm and social calm.”
Source: Polskie Radio, Radio Gdańsk
The Polish central bank’s rate-setting Monetary Policy Council kept interest rates unchanged on Tuesday, leaving the reference rate at 5.75 percent.
Over the past month, the panel slashed key interest rates by a combined 100 basis points amid signs of subsiding inflation. According to a flash estimate by the country’s statistics office, inflation in Poland totaled 6.1% last December, down from 6.6% in November,
Starting in late 2021, the Monetary Policy Council delivered a string of rate hikes in an effort to contain surging consumer prices. Last November, Poland’s central bank chief, Adam Glapiński, said the country’s interest rates were unlikely to rise anytime soon.
In its latest Inflation Report from November 10, the Polish central bank estimated that inflation would average 11.4 percent in 2023, followed by 4.6 percent in 2024 and 3.7 percent in 2025.
Source: Radio Poland
The Polish government has decided to halt logging in some of the country’s most valuable forest areas, implementing a pledge made following last October’s parliamentary elections.
Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska announced the move at a news briefing in Warsaw on Monday. According to officials, the measure will reportedly be in place for six months as part of a first step towards a broader policy to limit forest clearing in locations of natural value, particularly those located close to large cities.
Monday’s decision affects Poland’s ten most cherished forest areas, including forests around Trójmiasto, the Carpathian Forest in the southeast, the Augustów Forest in the northeast, and woodlands around the southwestern city of Wrocław.
According to opinion polls cited by Reuters, some 75% of Poles would like to see logging reduced. The new measures would reportedly affect some 1.5% of forest areas managed by Poland’s State Forests (Lasy Państwowe) organization.
Source: Radio Poland, Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy, with very little chance of rain or snow and a light breeze coming from the northwest. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a high of 2°C, or 35°F, dropping to just below freezing overnight with a low of -1°C or 30°F. Slightly warmer weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for more snow later in the week.
Elizabeth Peck
