The US ambassador to Warsaw has responded to claims made by former US National Security Adviser John Bolton regarding the deployment of additional American troops to Poland. In his forthcoming tell-all memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” Bolton alleges that US President Donald Trump did not remember agreeing to a planned “Fort Trump” military base in Poland.
In a response via Twitter, US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher called the leaked fragment „a mischaracterization,” explaining that „the name 'Fort Trump’ was never a reality” but plans for “more US troops in Poland” were already underway.
The presidents of the US and Poland are due to meet at the White House on Wednesday of this week; Duda’s trip to Washington is likely to coincide with Trump’s plans to announce an increase in the number of US forces stationed in Poland, according to media reports.
At a meeting in 2019, the two presidents signed a declaration under which the US was to station around 1,000 extra troops in Poland, a staunch military ally.
Source: Radio Poland
More storms and risk of flooding on the horizon
Forecasters have warned of further flooding in parts of Poland this week after hundreds of homes, buildings, and roads were flooded by torrential rain over the weekend. Among the hardest hit were the southern regions of Silesia and Upper Silesia, and the central province of Mazowieckie.
In the village of Łapanów, south-east of Kraków, several dozen buildings and churches were flooded, forcing families to flee upstairs after water levels rose to the ceiling of the ground floor in their homes, private broadcaster TVN reported. Rainfall also caused severe flooding in a hospital in the southern village of Szczyrzyck, forcing hospital staff to move patients to the upper floors of the building.
As of yesterday morning, thousands of households across Poland were still without electricity and officials are warning residents to brace for additional storms over the next few days.
Source: Radio Poland
Last chance to change your voting location
As the date for Poland’s presidential election nears, officials are reminding potential voters that they have until tomorrow (June 23) to declare their intent to vote outside of their place of legal residence.
Voters are allowed to vote at a polling station away from their registered address if they submit a written request to be added to the voter list of the local precinct where they will be staying the day of the election (June 28). The request can be submitted online or at the office of the local gmina but the deadline for submissions is tomorrow.
Alternatively, voters can apply for a voting certificate, which will allow them to vote anywhere in the country or on a Polish seagoing vessel. The application for a certificate can be submitted in person, by fax or by e-mail, but the certificate must be picked up by this Friday, June 26.
Eleven candidates are running in Poland’s presidential election, which is scheduled for next Sunday, June 28, with a potential second round of elections scheduled for July 12.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Global concert pays tribute to Pope John Paul II
Musicians from 40 countries took part in an international online concert yesterday to mark 100 years since the birth of Pope John Paul II in Poland. The concert had originally been due to take place at the Lincoln Center in New York but was moved online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Artists from Poland, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Japan performed in the event, which included soloists from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, and Poland’s National Ballet. The concert featured sacred and classical music by Schubert, Mozart, and Verdi, as well as works by famed Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko.
Jan Paweł II led the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005 and is widely-credited for helping end communist rule in Poland and across Eastern Europe during his tenure as Pope.
A recording of yesterday’s concert is available for streaming online at https://jp2concert.com/en/us-main/
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and humid throughout the day with a good chance of rain in the early afternoon and overnight. Temperatures will peak around a high of 20°C, or 68°F, dropping to a low of 14°C or 58°F overnight. The rainy weather will continue through tomorrow with warm temps and sunshine forecast to return toward the end of the week.
RGEN/pb
