Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed members of the US Congress yesterday in a direct appeal for more weapons to fight against the Russian invasion.

During her speech, Zelenska asked for more weapons „to protect one’s home and the right to wake up alive in that home,” specifically „air defense systems, in order for Russian rockets not to kill children in my country.”

Zelenska shared photos of civilian victims of Russian attacks, including a 4-year-old girl who was killed in a deadly strike on Vinnytsia last week. „For Russia,” she went on to explain, „these are Hunger Games, a hunt for the peacefully-minded people in Ukraine’s peacefully-minded cities. They never broadcast this kind of news, and that’s why I’m showing this to you.”

Olena Zelenska is the first wife of a foreign president to ever deliver a speech to the US Congress.

The United States has so far supplied Ukraine with some USD 8 billion in military aid since the Russian invasion began, including some USD 2.2 billion in the past month, news outlets reported. Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said that the next batch of weapons would include more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday that Russia’s war aims went beyond the Donbas region, confirming suspicions that have been circulating for some time.

In a report by Reuters yesterday, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirkby warned that Russia was looking to annex areas of Ukraine outside the Donbas region. He also said Russia was installing proxy officials to give the appearance of legitimacy and planning to hold „sham elections” in autumn.

Source: Radio Poland, Reuters

The European Commission has called for a 15 percent cut in natural gas use by EU member states as they struggle with an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

„The European Union faces the risk of further gas supply cuts from Russia, due to the Kremlin’s weaponization of gas exports, with almost half of our member states already affected by reduced deliveries,” the EU executive said in a statement on Wednesday. „Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption, strengthening European energy resilience,” it added.

The Commission said it was proposing „a new legislative tool and a European Gas Demand Reduction Plan” to reduce gas use in Europe by 15 percent between August 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. The EU executive promised to accelerate work to diversify supplies, including through joint purchases of gas „to strengthen the EU’s possibility of sourcing alternative gas deliveries.”

Source: Radio Poland

Hundreds of classic and cult Polish films, documentaries, and TV shows are now available to watch for free with English subtitles on a website funded by Poland’s culture ministry and the EU.

The project, called „35mm.online,” includes such classics as Andrzej Wajda’s „Man of Marble” and Krzysztof Kieślowski’s „Three Colours trilogy.” The collection also features over 3,000 (3,108) episodes of the Polish Film Chronicle, a newsreel series shown in cinemas across Poland from 1944 to 1994.

An app for Android and iOS mobile devices is also available for download.

Source: Radio Poland

Caritas is asking for donations as part of a summer clothing drive this weekend for children and adult refugees in Gdańsk. According to Father Andrzej Wiecki, deputy director of the Caritas Archdiocese of Gdańsk, most refugees left Ukraine in the spring and do not have appropriate clothes for hot summer weather.

Organizers are asking residents to donate gently-used or new summer clothes, such as shorts, blouses, T-shirts, tops, polo shirts, shirts, dresses, tunics, skirts, summer women’s and children’s shoes, as well as bed linen.

As a reminder, Father Wiecki asks that donated clothes „be what we ourselves would like to wear. Human dignity must be preserved, so we ask that you bring clean clothes and, if possible, new or presentable clothes.”

Donations of clean, new, and gently used items can be brought to the store „Za jeden uśmiech,” located at ul. Zator Przytockiego 3 in Gdańsk Wrzeszcz. The collection will take place Saturday, July 23, from 9:00 to 15:00.

Weather

Today will be sunny and very hot, with no chance of rain and a strong breeze coming in from the south. Temperatures will peak around a high of 34°C, or 93°F, dropping to an overnight low of 19°C or 66°F. Some storms may roll in overnight, resulting in some cooler weather tomorrow and over the weekend.

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Elizabeth Peck/MarWer