Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Kyiv yesterday and addressed the Ukrainian parliament in person, becoming the first leader of a foreign state to do so since the start of the war.
In his comments to the Verkhovna Rada, Duda decried the rise of „worrying voices” that suggest Ukraine should give in to the demands of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
„Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future,” Duda declared, sparking applause from the audience. „Nothing about you without you,” he promised, going on to express Poland’s support for Ukraine’s EU ambitions and calling on the international community to demand a complete withdrawal of Russian troops.
His words echoed those of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who tweeted on Saturday that „Ukraine, and only Ukraine, will define when and how the war ends… President Zelensky has been clear. We don’t need anyone else’s land, but we won’t give up on what’s ours.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky later thanked the Polish people for their support, adding: „the unity of our nations must remain unchangeable.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Today marks day 89 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces reportedly repulsed nine Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions on Sunday, including a Russian attempt to seize the village of Olesandrivka in the Luhansk Oblast.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian offensive has slowed in some areas of eastern Ukraine, yet Russian forces continue to shell „towns and civilian infrastructure in the Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts.”
Russian forces also fired missiles at Kyiv yesterday afternoon while Zelenskyy and Duda were visiting the Verkhovna Rada, setting off air raid sirens and forcing MPs to seek shelter.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Police in the northern German city of Hamburg are investigating an apparent act of vandalism that took place early Sunday morning at the Polish Consulate.
According to a local news portal, the Consulate was pelted with stones and paint containers in the colors of the Russian flag. Tires were also set on fire near the building, making it difficult for emergency services to access the facility.
Fire services were called to the scene around 2:25 Saturday morning, and Hamburg police arrived soon afterward. According to reports, „three people were detained near the Consulate, but were later released due to a lack of sufficient evidence.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Source: Radio Poland, PAP, hamburg24.de
Lech Poznań has won Poland’s top-flight Ekstraklasa football league for the eighth time, while Raków Częstochowa finished runner-up over the weekend.
In the final round of matches, the Poznań club, managed by Maciej Skorża, won 2-1 against Zagłębie Lubin at home on Saturday, while Raków posted a comfortable 3-0 win against Lechia Gdańsk, who finished 4th in the league.
Top-flight powerhouse Wisła Kraków, managed by former Poland boss Jerzy Brzęczek and co-owned by national team ex-captain Jakub Błaszczykowski, finished the season second from the bottom and will be relegated from the Polish premier league.
The top four finishers, Lech, Raków, Pogoń Szczecin, and Lechia Gdańsk will represent Poland in European competitions due to begin later this year.
Arka Gdynia moved to third place in the Fortuna I Liga after beating Sandeca Nowy Sącz 2: 1 in Gdynia yesterday.
The win is not enough for a direct promotion into the Ekstraklasa league, but Gdynia will still be seeded in the play-offs and still has a chance to be promoted to the top division.
Arka will face off against 6th-ranked Chrobry Głogów this Thursday at 20:45 in the I Liga semi-finals.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
Polish tennis player Magda Linette has advanced to the second round of the French Open tournament in Paris with a hard-fought win over Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
The 30-year-old Pole, ranked world No. 52 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), overcame the sixth-ranked Tunisian 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 in their first-round encounter on Sunday.
Linette will next play either Italy’s Martina Trevisan or Britain’s Harriet Dart on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, fellow Pole and world No. 1 Iga Świątek, who triumphed in Paris in 2020, is set to face Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in the first round of the women’s singles competition.
The match is set for 12:00 CEST today.
Source: Radio Poland, wtatennis.com
Weather
Today will be mostly sunny and clear, with very little chance of rain and a light breeze coming in from the northeast. Temperatures will peak around a high of 16°C, or 60°F, dropping to an overnight low of 8°C or 47°F. Slightly warmer weather is expected tomorrow, with similar temps and a chance for rain on Wednesday.
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