At the Bucharest Nine summit yesterday in Warsaw, US President Joe Biden confirmed the US’s „sacred commitment” to NATO Article 5, promising America would „defend literally every inch of NATO.”
The US president went on to praise the leadership of the B9 countries of NATO’s eastern flank, emphasizing that freedom and democracy „around the world” were at stake in helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
The B9 leaders met yesterday to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Marcin Przydacz, a senior aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The summit was hosted by President Duda, Slovak President Zuzanna Čaputová, and Romania’s Klaus Iohan. It included the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria, along with US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
In a joint declaration adopted at the summit, the B9 leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to „continue to reinforce our deterrence and defense posture.”
According to Przydacz, leaders of the B9 agreed to defend each other against any potential adversary, while condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and calling for the reinforcement of NATO’s presence in the region.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
Polish officials are celebrating „ever stronger” cooperation with the United States on energy security after signing an agreement with the American company Westinghouse to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant.
The contract signed yesterday between Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), Westinghouse Electric Company, and Westinghouse Electric Poland covers pre-design cooperation, ” including preliminary design work and estimated project costs for the construction of the first of three proposed facilities.
Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa told reporters at the signing event that „nuclear energy is the future of Poland and the path towards ensuring energy security.” She praised the contract as a „strategic investment” which will provide Poland with „clean and safe energy of our own and a stimulus for growth.”
Moskwa told the media last November that the government had agreed to build three reactors in northern Poland, with „construction set to start in 2026 and the first reactor to be ready in 2033,” according to news reports at the time.
In an official statement issued by the White House, US President Joe Biden „welcomed the Polish government’s decision” to use a US-based company for the project, „cementing a long-term strategic energy partnership between Poland and the United States.”
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
Polish institutions marked International Mother Language Day on Tuesday, which focuses this year on the theme of „Multilingual education.” Established by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999, the holiday is celebrated every year on February 21 to raise awareness of the importance of preserving cultural and linguistic diversity.
According to UNESCO’s Atlas of Endangered Languages, eight of the nearly 3,000 languages listed are historically or currently connected with Poland, including Kashubian, Belarusian, Yiddish, Ruthenian, Romani, Polesian, and Wilamowski, a Germanic language spoken by the inhabitants of a small town (Wilamowice) near Bielsko-Biała.
The Polish language itself is one of the 25 most popular languages in the world, according to the Center for Polish Language and Culture at the Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, with over 40 million speakers worldwide.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio, https://ojp.uph.edu.pl/en/
Catholics in Poland and around the world celebrated Ash Wednesday yesterday, part of the annual Lent fasting period during the 40 days preceding the Easter holidays in April.
For Catholics worldwide, the period of Lent marks a call to repentance, conversion, and renewal before the arrival of Easter, one of the most sacred holidays of the Christian calendar.
During the Lenten period, Radio Gdańsk will offer a series of special programs entitled „On the Paths of Mercy,” with Father Tomasz Nowak and editor Andrzej Urbański. It will air every Tuesday and Friday at 5:35 p.m. from February 24 to April 7.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Weather
Today will be mostly cloudy with very little chance of rain during the day and a gentle breeze coming in from the south. Temperatures will be slightly warmer than yesterday, climbing from lows of near freezing to a high of 5°C or 41°F during the day and dropping to a low of 2°C or 36°F overnight. Slightly cooler temperatures are expected for tomorrow, with a chance for rain or snow showers overnight.
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Elizabeth Peck/MarWer
