Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak was in Germany yesterday to discuss the coordinated delivery of extended and more lethal aid to Ukraine with his American and European counterparts.
Błaszczak and representatives from some 40 other countries met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin yesterday at the Ramstein Air Force Base in southern Germany. The meeting followed pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States and other countries send heavier weapons and air defenses to help fight the invading Russian army.
After the meeting, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced Germany would send heavy weaponry directly to Ukraine for the first time since the war began, including the powerful ‘Gepard’ anti-aircraft tanks.
The US Secretary of Defense later assured Ukrainians that the United States and its allies were committed to “strengthen[ing] Ukraine’s military for the long haul” with coordinated support and additional weapons.
Source: PAP, Reuters, dw.com
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claims Poland has sufficient reserves and alternative supply routes for gas supplies after Russia said it was suspending gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria starting today.
Morawiecki told the media that Poland’s gas storage facilities were “76 percent full,” and the country also had alternative sources of supply, such as Germany, the Czech Republic, and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northwestern port of Świnoujście.
Additionally, a new pipeline, called the “Baltic Pipe,” is reportedly set to start delivering gas to Poland from Norway in October, potentially replacing all Russian supplies.
Morawiecki’s comments follow an announcement by state gas company PGNiG that Russia would stop sending gas via the Yamal pipeline after the company refused to pay for deliveries in Russian rubles, as stipulated by Russian legislation passed in late March.
Climate and Environment minister Anna Moskwa echoed Morawiecki in a press conference Tuesday evening, assuring residents “there will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes” as “Poland has the necessary gas reserves and sources of supply to protect our security.”
PGNiG has declared the suspension of gas supplies to be a breach of the Yamal contract and has promised to take legal measures to restore the delivery of natural gas under existing contract provisions.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland, PAP
Poland has imposed direct sanctions on 50 Russian individuals and businesses, including the gas giant Gazprom, over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a press conference yesterday, Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński revealed that the list also included gas firm Novatek and its CEO, along with major fertilizer manufacturers the Acron Group and PhosAgro.
The Polish government recently passed legislation to make such sanctions possible. Kamiński told the media that the main punitive measure would be “a freeze on the finances and wealth” of some 50 Russian oligarchs and companies “doing real business in our country.”
According to Polish officials, 18 of the sanctioned companies had transferred a combined sum of PLN 6 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) from Poland to Russia over the past two years.
The list of the 50 sanctioned entities, comprising 35 firms and 15 individuals, can be viewed on the interior ministry’s website.
The announcement came just as Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was due to hold talks with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on new sanctions against the Kremlin over the Ukraine war.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP
A new piece by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov had its world premiere at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall last night.
The 40-minute acapella choral composition, entitled “Psalm,” is based on the Ukrainian folk song “Oj, zza hory kam’yanoyi” and was performed last night by the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir. The piece was commissioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute two years ago, but its premiere was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Valentin Silvestrov is one of Ukraine’s most renowned composers and was recently made an honorary member of the Polish Composers’ Union. He has been living in Berlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine but came to Warsaw this week to witness the premiere of his work.
Source: Radio Poland
Weather
Today will be partly cloudy with a chance for rain in the morning and late evening and winds coming in from the northeast. Temperatures will be colder than yesterday, with a high around 9°C, or 49°F, dropping to an overnight low of 3°C or 37°F. Warmer temps and sunshine will return tomorrow, with a chance for warmer weather moving into the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck/mrud
