US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this evening in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík. According to State Dept. spokesman Ned Price, the bilateral meeting “will be an opportunity to see if we can achieve a relationship with Moscow that will be more stable and predictable.” In addition to planned discussions on issues of “mutual interest and the international agenda,” the two men are likely to discuss details of an expected future meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
US-Russian relations have cooled significantly in the past year, largely due to Russia’s suspected role in a series of high-profile cyberattacks in the US, accusations of interference in the 2016 and 2020 US elections, the poisoning and later arrest of Alexei Navalny, and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Both men are currently in Reykjavík for a meeting of the Arctic Council, a forum that has met annually since 1996 to discuss issues of mutual cooperation in the Arctic zone, such as protection of indigenous peoples, sustainable development, and environmental protection. Council participants include the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Poland has been an observer since 1998.
Source: IAR
Poland is set to take part in a pilot program to test COVID immunity certificates amid plans to introduce the “vaccination passports” across the EU.
The certificates would confirm that the subject had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, tested negative for COVID, or recovered from the virus, thus giving them immunity and potentially the freedom to travel the EU.
The document is being designed by EU lawmakers along with the European Commission and EU government negotiators. Officials are reportedly hoping for a political agreement by the end of May, with the certificate becoming fully operational by June 21.
Source: Radio Poland
Pomerania is leading other provinces in Poland in vaccination rates per capita, with almost every second person having had at least one dose.
According to Jakub Kraszewski, General Director of the University Clinical Center (UCK) in Gdańsk, Pomerania is on track to achieve 100,000 vaccinations by the end of May, assuming the vaccine supply remains stable.
One of the region’s largest vaccination sites, the sports hall of the Medical University of Gdańsk (GUMed), has the capacity to vaccinate nearly 400 (370) residents per hour, or close to 4,000 per day.
Over 11.5 (11.66) million initial doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered in Poland as of Tuesday, with over 4.5 (4.64) million people now fully vaccinated.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Polnad, TVN24
Officials paid tribute yesterday to Polish soldiers who died in the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the bloodiest battles of WW2 and a major Allied victory over Nazi German forces.
Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak was in Italy to honor the Polish contribution to the 1944 battle, a victory that opened the road for the future liberation of Rome by Allied forces.
The 2nd Polish Corps commanded by General Władysław Anders captured Monte Cassino on May 18, 1944, after 123 days of fierce fighting. The victory cost the lives of 923 Polish troops, with 2,931 wounded and 345 declared missing in action.
After the war ended in 1945, a Polish military cemetery was established on the slopes of Monte Cassino, a site Błaszczak described yesterday as “a sacred place for every Pole.”
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy and cool, with a strong breeze coming in from the northwest and very little chance of rain. Temperatures will peak around a high of 16°C, or 61°F, dropping to a low of 7°C or 45°F overnight. Similar weather will return tomorrow, with more rain in the forecast as we move into the weekend.
EPeck/pb
