Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki delivered a series of official Easter greetings yesterday via various social media channels.

In his video message on Facebook, Morawiecki emphasized the need to focus on „a better tomorrow” after two years of the pandemic and the current war in Ukraine have led to „yet another Easter holiday marred by difficulty and trouble”.

He acknowledged that many Poles wanted things to „go back to pre-2020 times, to normal”, and emphasized his belief „that the times of peace and safety will return”. He went on to describe steps his government was taking to limit the economic impact of the war on Polish families and called for harsher sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Morawiecki also expressed a „deep, humble, and heartfelt thank you” to thousands of Poles who have opened their hearts and their homes to Ukrainian refugees, „sharing what they have…this extraordinary gift of solidarity will be remembered by Ukrainians for generations”.

He finished by wishing everyone „a healthy, happy, and family-filled Easter”.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to urge Western governments to provide more military assistance to Ukraine as it fights to defend itself against Russia’s brutal invasion.

In a video address on Saturday, Zelensky pointed to the scale of western support and the scope of sanctions on Russia as the key factors in determining how soon peace will return to Ukraine.

„The faster we get the military equipment we need, the more support we receive, the better our position, the sooner we will achieve peace”, he explained.

He went on to push for additional sanctions against Russia, telling Western leaders that „the sooner the democratic world accepts that a ban on Russian oil and blocking its banking sector is necessary for peace, the sooner the war is to end”.

In a media interview over the weekend, Zelensky also cautioned the world to be prepared for the possibility that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons.

In an upcoming interview with Jake Tapper of CNN, Zelensky warns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could resort to using nuclear weapons because „for them, the life of the people [means] nothing”.

CIA Director Bill Burns said on Thursday that the United States has not yet seen any signs that Russia could be preparing to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine but told reporters that his agency was monitoring the situation „very intently”.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, Reuters

A team of psychologists and translators from Wrocław have helped develop a unique fairy tale to help Ukrainian children acclimate to their new lives in Poland.

„Olya, Borysko and their new friends” is a story in Ukrainian about a Ukrainian family arriving in a new city in Poland. The story highlights the challenges Olya and Borysko must overcome in their new home, such as learning the Polish language, navigating in their city, and making new friends.

Professional psychologists from SWPS University and the University of Wrocław worked with authors and translators on the „therapeutic” content of the book. According to the authors, the story demonstrates how everyone reacts differently to new situations and provides strategies for coping in a new environment.

The book can be downloaded for free online >>>HERE<<< or viewed as an animation with English subtitles >>>HERE<<<.

Source: Radio Gdańsk

Polish tennis phenom Iga Świątek won her 19th straight match on Saturday, leading Poland into the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup finals for the first time in history.

Świątek, who became the new world number one in women’s tennis this month, earned a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win over Andreea Prisacariu in Poland’s international qualifier against Romania.

A day earlier, Świątek dispatched Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-1, 6-0 in the Polish city of Radom.

Victories by other members of the Polish team, including Magda Linette and the doubles team of Magdalena Fręch and Alicja Rosolska, gave the Polish team a 4-0 overall score in the playoffs of the tournament, pushing the team through to the finals.

A total of 12 nations, including Australia and the United States, will compete in the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup finals in November.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP, billiejeankingcup.com

Weather

Today will be mostly sunny and cold with very little chance of rain and a gentle breeze from the north. Temperatures will be similar to yesterday, with a high around 8°C, or 47°F, dropping to a freezing overnight low of 0°C or 32°F. Similar temps are expected for tomorrow, with a chance for some sun later in the day.

Elizabeth Peck/aKa