Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has promised that “unacceptable” delays by Germany would not stop Ukraine or Ukraine’s strongest allies despite failures to reach an agreement on the transfer of German tanks.
During an interview with the Polish Press Agency (PAP) over the weekend, Morawiecki criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that Germany was putting economic interests–and lucrative contracts with Russia–above the lives of Ukrainian people.
According to Morawiecki, Germany has adopted the policy of “Wandel durch Handel,” or “change through trade,” the tactic of appeasing Russia with trade agreements in hopes that the country would change.
Morawiecki’s remarks came after last Friday’s meeting of NATO and defense leaders at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base failed to garner German approval for transferring German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Germany’s stance appears to be softening somewhat, with German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock quoted by Reuters saying the country “would not stand in the way” if Poland sent its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without prior approval from Germany.
Source: Radio Poland, Reuters
Poland has granted temporary protection to nearly 940,000 Ukrainians fleeing their country in the wake of Russia’s invasion, according to data recently released by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency.
As of the end of November, Poland had provided temporary protection to 939,865 Ukrainians, more than any other country in the EU.
Among member states for which data are available, Germany ranks second with just over 900,000 (901,930) Ukrainians with protected status, while Spain was third with over 153,000 (153,760). In November 2022 alone, Poland reportedly granted temporary protection to 40,370 Ukrainians, followed by Germany (36, 385), Romania (10, 745), and France (8 835).
As noted in the report, “temporary protection” refers to the EU Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022, which established “the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine due to Russia’s invasion….”
Source: Radio Poland, ec.europa.eu
Magda Linette defeated Caroline Garcia of France in two sets early this morning to advance to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open.
Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Świątek are both out of the tournament after losing their fourth-round matches on Sunday, leaving Magda Linette as the only remaining Polish competitor.
Hurkacz was defeated following a tense match with Sebastian Korda of the US (6:3, 3:6, 2:6, 6:1, 6:7 (7-10)), while Iga Świątek shocked many in the tennis world by losing in two sets (4:6, 4:6) to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Linette, the “last Pole standing” will face off against Karolína Plíšková of the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Source: Radio Poland, ausopen.com
The Polish men’s handball team went out with style last night at Tauron Arena in Kraków, defeating Iran 26:22 (16:10) to end both teams’ World Cup adventures.
The White-and-Reds had already lost their chance to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship after losing to Spain last week. Still, the win against Iran gives Poland a fourth-place finish in their current group, meaning they should finish between 14th and 16th place overall.
The tournament, which is jointly hosted by Poland and Sweden, will continue until January 29, with quarterfinals and one semi-final match set to be hosted at Ergo Arena in Gdańsk.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, ihf.info
Local residents are being warned of traffic delays and difficulties for drivers traveling from Kashubia to Gdańsk Wreszcz due to planned detours on ul. Budowlanych.
Beginning today at 11:00, traffic on ul. Budowlanych from PKM Matarnia to the so-called turbine roundabout in Gdańsk Kokoszki will be restricted to one-way traffic only, going in the direction of Kaszub.
Drivers going in the direction of Wrzeszcz will need to use detours via ul. Słowackiego, Nowatów, Kartuska, or the Tri-City Bypass. Detours are expected to extend the journey by some five kilometers and will likely cause heavy traffic jams.
The reconstruction of a one-and-a-half-kilometer section of the road from Słowackiego to Nowatorów, which began last autumn, is expected to last until next September.
For more information on detours and changes to public transportation, visit OUR SITE.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy and cold, with very little chance of snow and a light breeze coming from the northeast. Temperatures will stay close to freezing, with a high of around 1°C or 33°F, and a low of -3°C, or 27°F. Similar weather is expected for tomorrow, with a chance for more snow later in the week.
Listen to the broadcast:
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