The US Pentagon has rejected an offer from the Polish government to donate fighter jets for use by Ukraine.
Yesterday the Polish Foreign Ministry said that all of the country’s MiG-29 fighters were ready to be immediately moved to a German air base and placed at the disposal of the United States of America.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby responded by saying that this proposal is not a tenable one, given concerns about warplanes departing from a NATO base into airspace contested with Russia.
He added that the US would continue to consult with Poland and other NATO allies about the idea of transferring Polish MiGs to the Ukrainian air force.
Source: apnews.com, PAP
Russia has said it will provide humanitarian corridors today for people fleeing Kyiv and four other Ukrainian cities, as the number of refugees created by its assault on the country passed 2 million.
Yesterday, attempts to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol failed, with the Ukrainian government accusing Russia of shelling a promised escape route.
However, residents of the besieged city of Sumy were able to move to safety using the first successful humanitarian corridor opened since the start of the invasion.
Meanwhile the regional governor in Kharkiv in the east of the country said Ukrainian forces had repulsed attempts by Russian troops to enter the city.
Likewise Ukraine claimed to have repelled repeated Russian assaults on the southern regional capital of Mikolayiv.
The United Nations said it had verified 474 civilian deaths so far in Ukraine, though the true total is likely to be higher.
Source: reuters.com
The economic pressure on Russia has increased, with the United States saying it will ban imports of Russian oil.
Oil prices have risen more than 30 percent since the start of the conflict thirteen days ago.
The president of Polish oil company PKN Orlen, Daniel Obajtek, said his company is prepared for any scenario, including the complete suspension of supplies from the east.
Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference in Oslo yesterday that a gas pipeline from Norway to Poland should be ready for shipments in October or November this year.
He added that Poland knows very well it has to be independent of Russian oil and gas.
However the president of Hungary, Viktor Orban, said his country would not allow sanctions against fossil fuel imports from Russia, adding that Hungarian families should not pay the price for this war.
Meanwhile more Western companies have suspended their operations in Russia, including Coca Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.
The food giant Unilever has stopped all imports and exports with the country.
Source: reuters.com, onet.pl, PAP
Gdańsk churchgoers have reached deep into their pockets and donated 1.7 million zlotys for Ukrainian refugees.
The money came from two collections, made on the first Sunday of the conflict, and again on Ash Wednesday.
The charity Caritas will receive the funds towards its national and international aid efforts.
Caritas’s director in Gdańsk, Janusz Steć, called the donation “a great gift of the heart”.
Source: radiogdansk.pl
Weather
Today promises to be sunny in Gdańsk, with cloudless skies and light winds. The temperature will reach 7°C, 44°F. Tonight will dip to -1°C, 30°F, with tomorrow bringing cooler and cloudier weather than today.
RGEN/AGC
