Heads of Poland’s New Government Meet Discusses National Security
Top officials of Poland’s new government, including the president, prime minister, and his cabinet, met yesterday to discuss national security. The most pressing issues were Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Polish Army reform, and the upcoming NATO summit.
President Duda addressed the new cabinet stating that he hoped for a “harmonious cooperation for the benefit of Poland.” He added that Poland’s current top security priorities are the NATO summit of next year and Russia’s aggression, saying that Poland needs to ensure the summit decides to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, entailing a strong and permanent presence of allied forces in Poland.
He finished his remarks saying the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the need for Poland to unify its military command structure; that there is a presidential bill prepared to introduce these changes, and he hopes parliament will consider it “in the near future.”
Source: PAP, PolskieRadio
Kremlin Profits From Departure of Western Companies
The United States’ New York Times has recently investigated and uncovered that the Kremlin saw heavy profits from the departure of western corporations from Russia.
Due to the implementation of heavy economic sanctions against Russia from the west, many western companies withdrew from the Russian economy, leading to an initial estimated USD 100 billion in losses. However, the Kremlin was able to craft a system to benefit Vladimir Putin and his inner circle.
The Kremlin reportedly was able to acquire the infrastructure and supply of many of these companies at discounted prices and oversee their takeover by the state, and others withdrew from the country on Russia’s terms, allowing Russia to squeeze wealth and impose additional taxes on the departing companies. It has been the largest transfer of wealth in the country since the collapse of the USSR.
Polish Government Dismisses Heads of Public Media
The Ministry of Culture announced yesterday that the government will dismiss the CEOs of state media, namely TVP, Polish Radio, and PAP. Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz also dismissed and replaced the boards of directors of these media outlets.
The ministry stated it sees the move as a necessity to adhere to parliament’s Tuesday resolution to restore impartiality and credibility to public media outlets. The decision was followed by several TVP services temporarily going off the air.
Source: IAR, PAP, Polsat
New Governor of Pomerania
It has been confirmed that Beata Rutkiewicz, the current vice-president of Wejherowo, has been officially appointed as the Pomeranian Governor or Voivode. She replaces Dariusz Drelich from, who is leaving after 8 years in office. The Governor of each region in Poland is traditionally appointed by the central government.
Source: Gdańsk.pl
Poland to Host 2024 Nations League Volleyball Finals
Poland has been selected to host the 2024 Nations League Volleyball Finals for the second year in a row. The Polish National Team will be defending its title in Łódź at the Atlas Arena from June 27th to the 30th.
Head of the Polish Volleyball Association Sebastian Świderski told the press that the tournament will serve as the team’s final preparations for the Olympic Games in June of next year.
Source: PAP, PolskieRadio
Weather
The temperature for today is predicted to remain above freezing at 1 to 7 degrees Celsius or 33 to 44 degrees Fahrenheit, however, it is not expected to be pleasant with strong winds and cloudy conditions with rainfall throughout the day.
Bryce Buren/aKa