Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other Polish officials have called for EU reforms after the war in Ukraine “exposed the truth about Russia.”

In an op-ed from euractiv.com entitled “Historical challenges and false directions for Europe at the crossroads,” Morawiecki criticizes EU leaders for being “lured by Vladimir Putin.”

He warns that “those who refused to see that Putin’s state has imperialist tendencies today have to face the fact that in Russia, the demons of the 19th and 20th centuries are revived: nationalism, colonialism, and totalitarianism.”

In the piece, Morawiecki lays the blame for the EU’s response to Russian imperialism on the lack of parity between EU member states. According to Morawiecki, “political practice has shown that the voice of Germany and France counts above all,” a de facto framework the EU must rethink in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

While “Poland does not have a monopoly on the truth,” he explains, it does have more experience in relations with Russia than other European nations. In cases like the approval of Nord Stream 1 and 2, that voice – and that experience – was ignored.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland

Belarusian authorities have banned the website of public broadcaster Polish Radio for being “extremist,” as the Lukashenko regime continues to crack down on access to free media in Belarus.

Andrzej Rybałt, who heads Polish Radio’s External Service, described the move as “another episode in Alexander Lukashenko’s regime’s clampdown on free media.”

“The Lukashenko regime will do everything it can to make sure that the section of the Belarusian society that wants to know what the world looks like, is cut off from free media access,” Rybałt explained.

According to him, “Radio Poland content addressed to Belarusians is dangerous for the Lukashenko regime” as it frequently reports on the activities of the Belarusian opposition, “on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and on how Belarusian partisans were sabotaging Putin’s forces stationed in Belarus.”

The audio and written content provided by Polish Radio’s Belarusian section is still available in Belarus using a VPN, and on radio airwaves, the IAR news agency reported.

Source: Radio Poland

Two more ships carrying soybeans and corn set sail from Ukraine on Monday under a deal with Russia to unblock Ukrainian grain exports.

The ship Sacura, which left the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi on Monday, was carrying 11,000 tons of soybeans to Italy, while the Arizona, which set sail from Chernomorsk, was taking over 48,00 (48,548) tons of corn to the city of Iskenderun in southeastern Turkey, the Turkish defense ministry reported.

In July, the United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal between Kyiv and Moscow under which grain exports would be overseen by the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, with Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian, and United Nations personnel handling the process.

A total of 10 ships have now been authorized to depart from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports under the deal. Four ships loaded with some 170,000 tons of corn and other foodstuffs left Ukraine on Sunday and were expected to anchor near Istanbul by Monday evening.

Source: Radio Poland

Budget airline Wizz Air has announced plans to launch new flights and expand its fleet in Poland.

After the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger aviation is again beginning to grow rapidly in Poland. In line with other discount air providers, Wizz Air recently announced it has plans to launch an additional four routes from Warsaw.

Starting in December, the airline will offer direct service to Valencia (VLC) on Spain’s southeastern coast, as well as direct flights from Chopin Airport to Aqaba (AQJ) in Jordan and Venice (VCE) in Italy. In addition, a direct flight to Bilbao (BIO) in the Basque region of northern Spain is also planned for next March.

Wizz Air began operation in Warsaw in August 2004 and has since carried around 18 million passengers to and from Poland.

Source: Radio Poland, routesonline.com

Weather

Today will be partly cloudy and cool, with very little chance of rain during the day and a light breeze coming in from the northeast. Temperatures will peak around a high of 21°C, or 70°F, dropping to an overnight low of 14°C or 58°F. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with temperatures warming up later in the week.

Elizabeth Peck/aKa