Sweden and Finland made history yesterday after the governments of both countries formally endorsed bids to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, formalized her country’s NATO membership application during a “historic” signing ceremony yesterday in Stockholm, paving the way for a historic expansion of the defensive military alliance.
Sweden plans to submit its NATO membership application “hand in hand” with neighboring Finland, whose parliament voted yesterday in support of membership after debating the issue for several days. An overwhelming majority of the Finnish parliament voted to join the alliance, with only 8 MPs of the 201-member body opposing the measure.
The potential accession of both Finland and Sweden to NATO reverses an official policy of neutrality that has existed in both countries for decades. After Russia invaded Ukraine, however, public support for NATO shifted substantially, with Swedish officials commenting yesterday that applying for membership was now “what’s best for our country.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk, dw.com, Reuters
More than 260 Ukrainian troops have been evacuated from their last stronghold in the embattled southern port of Mariupol after Ukraine declared their mission “complete.”
In a video statement on Monday evening, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar reported the evacuation of “53 badly wounded people from Azovstal.. to a medical facility in Novoazovsk” while “an additional 211 people were taken to Olenivka via a humanitarian corridor.”
Both cities are located in the eastern Donbas, a region currently under the control of Russian-backed separatists. According to Maliar, the Ukrainian government hopes to exchange the Mariupol defenders for Russian soldiers captured on the battlefield.
An estimated 600 troops were defending the Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian stronghold in the strategic southern port of Mariupol, during Russia’s nearly three-month siege of the city. According to Maliar, the heroic resistance by the last “defenders of Mariupol” gave Ukrainian forces “crucial time” to prepare for Russian attacks elsewhere.
The city of Mariupol has been almost entirely destroyed by Russian bombardment, with civilian casualties there estimated well into the thousands.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters
The Polish economy grew 8.5 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to a flash estimate released yesterday by the Central Statistical Office (GUS).
Poland’s GDP in the first quarter of 2022 increased by 8.5 percent year on year as compared to an increase of 7.6% year on year in the last quarter of 2021. The figure was 0.4 percentage points higher than estimates from economists polled by PAP.
On Monday, the European Commission revised its forecast downward for Polish economic growth this year to 3.7 percent, from a previous projection of 5.5 percent, primarily due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last month, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki predicted Poland’s 2022 GDP would grow at least 4 percent despite Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Polish statistics office is expected to issue its full report of first-quarter data by the end of May.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
Poland will once again play host to a major sporting event after officials finalized a deal to host the 2023 European Games next summer.
Prominent governmental officials, including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk, made the announcement after signing an agreement with the European Olympic Committee (EOC) yesterday in Warsaw.
The multi-sport event is set to be held between June 21 and July 2, 2023, in Kraków and the provinces of Małopolskie and Śląskie. Athletes from 50 countries in and around Europe will compete in 24 different sporting disciplines, ranging from archery to table tennis to wrestling.
Like the Olympics, the European Games are held every four years in different venues. The first edition of the games took place in 2015 in Baku, Azerbaijan, while the 2019 edition took place in Minsk, Belarus. Poland will be the first EU country to host the event.
Source: Radio Poland, eurolympic.org
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny but cool, with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze coming in from the east. Temperatures will peak around a high of 15°C, or 59°F, dropping to an overnight low of 7°C or 45°F. Significantly warmer weather is expected for tomorrow and Friday, with cooler temps and a chance for rain returning over the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck/kk
