Poland

Russian drone threats prompt Poland, Romania to deploy defensive systems

Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance's vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge. The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of a midsized pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. As well as being deployed in Poland and Romania, Merops will also be used by Denmark, NATO military officials told The Associated Press, part of a move to boost defences on the alliance's eastern flank. The aim is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow's forces will be deterred from ever contemplating crossing, from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south, the officials said. The need for such technology became acute after around 20 Russian drones flew into Polish airspace in early September. ...

Russia rains drones, missiles on western Ukraine, Poland scrambles aircraft

Eastern-flank Nato members are on high alert after Poland shot down suspected Russian drones in its airspace in September

Polish FM urges Nato to consider no-fly zone over Ukraine after incursion

Poland's interior ministry said that 16 drones were detected across the country during last Wednesday's incursion

France deploys Rafale jets to Poland after Russian drone incursions

President Emmanuel Macron stressed that defending Europe against Russian actions remains central to French and Nato strategy

Jaishankar, Polish FM hold talks on regional security, Ukraine conflict

Poland's Minister of Interior later said that 16 drones had been detected across the country, with debris scattered over a wide area, as per CNN

Poland shoots down Russian drones inside its territory, triggers NATO alert

The Russian drones flew farther west into the Nato member's territory than at any previously reported point in the war, triggering a defensive response

Trump assures Poland of continued US military presence in European nation

President Donald Trump affirmed that the United States will keep a robust military presence in Poland as he had a warm meeting Wednesday with Karol Nawrocki, the new president of the American ally in Europe. Trump had taken the unusual step of endorsing Nawrocki in the Polish elections earlier this year, and as the leaders sat side by side in the White House, Trump said the US-Polish relationship has always been strong but "now it's better than ever. When asked by a reporter whether the US planned to continue placing troops in Poland, Trump said the US would and that "we'll put more there if they want". We'll be staying in Poland. We're very much aligned with Poland," Trump said. The visit to Washington is Nawrocki's first overseas trip since taking office last month. The former amateur boxer and historian, who was backed by the conservative Law and Justice party, was hoping to deepen his relationship with Trump at a fraught moment for Warsaw. Nawrocki thanked Trump for his suppor

New Polish President Nawrocki to visit White House for talks with Trump

Poland's new president Karol Nawrocki is set to visit the White House on Wednesday, looking to strengthen his relationship with President Donald Trump and make the case that the US needs to maintain its strong military presence in his country. The visit to Washington is Nawrocki's first overseas trip since taking office last month. It comes after Trump took the unusual step of involving himself in the elections of a longtime ally, Poland, and endorsing Nawrocki, the nationalist Law and Justice party candidate. Now in office, Nawrocki, a former amateur boxer and historian, is hoping to deepen his relationship with Trump at a fraught moment for Warsaw. Trump is increasingly frustrated by his inability to get Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sit down for direct talks aimed at ending the more than three-year-old war between Poland's neighbours. Trump last month met with Putin in Alaska and then with Zelenskyy and several European leaders a

Axiom 4 mission: Shubhanshu Shukla completes a week in orbit aboard ISS

Shukla has been conducting experiments that explore how microgravity affects growth and genetic behaviour of algae and how tardigrades, hardy microscopic creatures, survive and reproduce in space

Tusk's govt wins confidence vote as political tensions rise in Poland

Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government survived a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, shoring up its mandate after the nationalist opposition's victory in Poland's presidential election deepened political gridlock and raised doubts about Tusk's ability to deliver on key reforms. Lawmakers voted 243-210 in favour of the government in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house, with supporters rising to applaud Tusk and chant his name. Tusk had requested the vote, saying Poland is in a new reality and that he was seeking a fresh opening, following the June 1 loss of Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski his close ally to nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki. Backed by President Donald Trump, Nawrocki is set to replace Andrzej Duda, another conservative who repeatedly blocked Tusk's reform efforts. I am asking for a vote of confidence with full conviction that we have a mandate to govern, to take full responsibility for what is happening in Poland, Tusk said earlier in the day. Most of t

Trump-backed conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential race

Conservative Karol Nawrocki's victory in Poland's weekend presidential runoff has set the country on a more nationalist course and cast doubt on the viability of the centrist government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk after the defeat of his liberal ally. Nawrocki, who was supported by US President Donald Trump, won 50.89% of votes in a very tight race against Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%, according to the final results published on Monday morning. By evening, Tusk said he would ask parliament to hold a vote of confidence in his coalition government, a fragile multiparty alliance that includes left-wingers, centrists and agrarian conservatives. Tusk's government exists separately from the presidency, but the president holds power to veto laws, and Nawrocki's win will make it extremely difficult for Tusk to press his pro-European agenda. The race revealed deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. The result leaves Tus

Trump ally getting elected in Poland could alter EU and Ukraine policies

Poland has elected Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and staunch nationalist, as its next president in a closely watched vote that signals a resurgence of right-wing populism in the heart of Europe. Nawrocki, who is set to take office on Aug 6, is expected to shape the country's domestic and foreign policy in ways that could strain ties with Brussels while aligning the Central European nation of nearly 38 million people more closely with the administration of President Donald Trump in the United States. Here are some key takeaways: Conservative populism on the rise Nawrocki's victory underscores the enduring appeal of nationalist rhetoric among about half of the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union, and its deep social divisions. The 42-year-old historian who had no previous political experience built his campaign on patriotic themes, traditional Catholic values, and a vow to defend Poland's sovereignty against the EU and larger European nations li

Poland votes in tight presidential race between pro-EU, nationalist visions

Voting was due to end at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), with exit polls published soon afterwards. The electoral commission says it hopes final results will be announced on Monday morning or early afternoon

Poland holds presidential runoff, which Trump had sought to influence

Poland's presidential election has come down to a stark ideological choice: a liberal pro-European mayor versus a staunch nationalist conservative. They are polling so close that the outcome is impossible to predict in the run-off round on Sunday. It's not just a domestic affair. President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind the nationalist candidate, Karol Nawrocki, and dangled the prospect of closer military ties if Poles choose him over liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. A contest with global implications Trump met with Nawrocki earlier this month at the White House and sent his Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a meeting of the conservative pressure group CPAC in Poland, where she offered a strong endorsement. Noem even dangled the prospect of closer US-Polish military ties in the event of a Nawrocki win with the implied warning that a Trzaskowski victory could jeopardize Poland's security. At stake is not only Poland's domestic course but also the ...

Liberal mayor, conservative historian to face off in Poland election

Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and a conservative historian, Karol Nawrocki, emerged as the front-runners in Poland's presidential election Sunday, according to an exit poll, putting them on track to face off in a second round in two weeks. A late exit poll by the Ipsos institute released early Monday showed Trzaskowski with an estimated 31.2% of the votes and Nawrocki with 29.7%. That suggested the runoff on June 1 could be very tight. Official results are expected on Monday or Tuesday. Trzaskowski is a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who speaks foreign languages and holds pro-European Union views. His support is strongest in cities, where many like his secular views and support for LGBTQ+ rights. Nawrocki is a conservative historian with no prior political experience who was backed by the national conservative Law and Justice party. The head of a state historical institute, he has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national ...

Poland votes for new president on Sunday as worries grow about future

A war next door in Ukraine. Migration pressure at borders. Russian sabotage across the region. Doubts about the US commitment to Europe's security. In Poland's presidential election Sunday, security looms large. So do questions about the country's strength as a democracy and its place in the European Union. One of the new president's most important tasks will be maintaining strong ties with the US, widely seen as essential to the survival of a country in an increasingly volatile neighbourhood. A crowded field, a likely runoff Voters in this Central European nation of 38 million people will cast ballots to replace conservative incumbent Andrzej Duda, whose second and final five-year term ends in August. With 13 candidates, a decisive first-round victory is unlikely. Some have appeared unserious or extreme, expressing openly pro-Putin or antisemitic views. A televised debate this week dragged on for nearly four hours. There are calls to raise the threshold to qualify for the race. A

1 mn Ukrainian refugees in Poland, yet candidates vow to put poles first

In the early months of 2022, as Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, millions of Ukrainians mostly women and children fled to Poland, where they were met with an extraordinary outpouring of sympathy. Ukrainian flags appeared in windows. Polish volunteers rushed to the border with food, diapers, SIM cards. Some opened their homes to complete strangers. In the face of calamity, Poland became not just a logistical lifeline for Ukraine, but a paragon of human solidarity. Three years later, Poland remains one of Ukraine's staunchest allies a hub for Western arms deliveries and a vocal defender of Kyiv's interests. But at home, the tone toward Ukrainians has shifted. Nearly a million Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland, with roughly 2 million Ukrainian citizens overall in the nation of 38 million people. Many of them arrived before the war as economic migrants. As Poland heads into a presidential election on May 18, with a second round expected June 1, the growing fatigue w

Modi-Putin ties 'may be helpful' for war talks, says Polish deputy minister

He however clarified that he believes only United States President Donald Trump holds any leeway with President Putin

PM Modi helped persuade Putin against using nuclear weapon: Polish minister

Bartoszewski stated that Putin had "threatened" to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian territory, but calls from India and China influenced his decision to reconsider