US officials have emphasized the US “will defend every inch of NATO territory” after Belarusian leader Aleksander Lukashenko suggested Wagner mercenaries wanted to make an “excursion” to Poland.
During a press briefing on Monday night, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller addressed comments made over the weekend by Lukashenko to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lukashenko reportedly told Putin during their meeting in St. Petersburg that Wagner PMC troops in Belarus wanted “to go West” and potentially make an “excursion” to the Polish capital Warsaw and the southeastern city of Rzeszów, Polsat News reported.
Asked by reporters if the US or its allies should be worried about Lukashenko’s remarks, Miller said he didn’t know “how much you should read into them” as only Russia has demonstrated the “intent” and “willingness to invade its neighbors.”
Miller went on to emphasize that the US “alliance with Poland is strong. Poland is a NATO member, and we will defend, if necessary, every inch of NATO territory.”
Today is day 518 of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio/PAP
Polish government officials have confirmed that Polish holidaymakers in Greece are receiving assistance from travel agencies as the southern European country battles intense wildfires.
In an interview on Tuesday, government spokesperson Piotr Müller told public broadcaster Polish Radio that representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism were in contact with travel agencies organizing trips to Rhodes and Corfu in Greece, including Itaka, Rainbow, Exim Tours, Grecos, and Coral Travel.
While the travel companies are reportedly providing Polish tourists with “assistance on a continuous basis,” Müller urged those whose holidays had ended but are unable to leave Greece to contact the Polish embassy in Athens for assistance.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a communiqué addressed to Polish tourists regarding the high level of fire risk in Greece, which is expected to persist for the next few weeks.
Tourists currently in Greece are encouraged to strictly follow instructions of the local security services and refrain from traveling to places on the island that Greek authorities consider dangerous or closed to tourism.
Greece has been hit by an average of 50 new fires a day for the past 12 days, with the biggest blazes raging through the island of Rhodes, forcing an estimated 19,000 people to be evacuated.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio
World No. 1 Iga Świątek has progressed to the second round of the BNP Paribas Poland Open tennis tournament before a home crowd in Warsaw.
The Polish star defeated Nigina Abduraimova, the world No. 181 from Uzbekistan, in two sets (6-4, 6-3) on Tuesday night to book a place in the Round of 16.
Świątek next faces either America’s world no. 78 Claire Liu or China’s world no. 116 Yue Yuan on Thursday.
A local tennis player from Tczew, Weronika Ewald, also made her debut yesterday in the Poland Open. The 17-year-old alumna of the Gdańsk Tennis Academy faced 26-year-old Rebecca Šramková of Slovakia in the first round yesterday, ultimately losing to the more-experienced Slovak in two sets (6-2, 6-2).
The third annual BNP Paribas Poland Open, Poland’s biggest tennis tournament, is being played on an outdoor hard court this year and will run until July 30.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Radio Poland
A food aid point in the Gdańsk city center is celebrating six months of successful operations in which they report distributing ten tons of food aid to nearly 2,000 people.
The “Sklep Społeczny za Stołem” food bank on ul. Aksamitna was established last December to provide food aid for those in need while reducing food waste.
Patrons can take home, free of charge, up to 2.5 kilograms of various vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, bread, dairy products, and ready-made products, such as dumplings donated from local stores. While the products have a short shelf life of 2-3 days, they are still suitable for consumption.
According to Ina Gadomska, manager of the Bank Żywności team in Trójmiasto, every person in need will receive support–“it doesn’t matter if someone comes from Ukraine, Poland, or India.”
Visitors should bring a photo ID as the shop “tries to limit the distribution of food to a given person to three times in a calendar year.”
The shop is open five days a week: on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00-15:00 and on Tuesdays from 13:00-18:00.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, gdansk.pl
Weather
Today will start off mostly cloudy with a chance for rain into the early afternoon, accompanied by a strong breeze from the northwest. Temperatures will be slightly cooler than yesterday, with a daytime high of 19°C or 66°F, dropping to a low of 11°C or 52°F overnight. Slightly warmer and sunnier weather is expected tomorrow, with a chance for rain returning on Friday.
Elizabeth Peck/raf
