Page 5 - Poland

Poland imposes EU ban on all Russian-registered cars in latest sanctions

Poland began to enforce a European Union (EU) ban Sunday on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country the latest in a series of sanctions on Russia in punishment for its war against Ukraine. Under the EU's decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc. A car registered in Russia has no right to enter Poland, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said Saturday, announcing the ban that took effect hours later at midnight. This is another element of the sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the brutal war in Ukraine, due to the fact that the Russian state today constitutes a threat to international security, Kaminski said. The move comes just days after the nearby Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory a joint move in line with a recent interpretation of the EU's ...

Poland shaken by reports consular officials took bribes to help migrants

Poland's conservative governing party was hoping to make migration a key campaign theme ahead of the country's national election. But not like this. The Law and Justice party is being rocked by reports that Polish consulates issued visas in Africa and Asia in exchange for bribes, opening the door for migrants to enter the European Union which some used as a launching pad to enter the United States. Details about the corruption scandal are coming to light a month ahead of the country's parliamentary elections Oct. 15, leaving Law and Justice struggling to control the damage. On Friday, a former deputy foreign minister who was dismissed amid reports of his involvement was hospitalized after an apparent suicide attempt. Law and Justice has been the election frontrunner in a field of several parties, and it's not clear if the affair will dent its support. But opposition politicians have seized on the issue, accusing the government of corruption and hypocrisy, given its strong ...

Wagner mercenaries in Belarus move closer to Polish border: Poland PM

Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday. Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference that the mercenaries had moved close to the Suwalki Gap, a strategic stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian territory separated from the mainland. Poland is a member of both the European Union and NATO, and it has worried about its security with Russian ally Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern border. Those fears have grown since Wagner group mercenaries arrived in Belarus since the group's short-lived rebellion earlier this summer. The Poland-Belarus border has already been a tense place for a couple of years, ever since large numbers of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving, seeking to enter the EU by crossing into Poland, as well as Lithuania. Poland's government accuses Russia and Belarus of using the migrants to .

Poland to move soldiers to east of country over Wagner risks: Report

On Thursday, the Belarusian defence ministry said Wagner mercenaries had started to train Belarusian special forces at a military range just a few miles from the border with NATO-member Poland

Wagner mercenaries, Belarus hold military exercises near Poland's border

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was shown in a video on Wednesday welcoming his fighters to Belarus, telling them they would take no further part in the Ukraine war for now

Football: Barca striker Robert Lewandowski rules out move to Saudi Arabia

FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski ruled out moving to the Saudi Professional League this summer as "he has other priorities" and his contract with the Spanish champions is valid until 2026

French Open: Swiatek beats Muchova, wins her third Roland Garros title

World No.1 Iga Swiatek defended her women's singles title at the French Open 2023, capturing a second consecutive Roland Garros. She beat Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 for a hard fought win

Persistent Systems opens new Poland location to expand footprint in Europe

The company aims to leverage these skills and build on its Digital Engineering expertise by recruiting skilled personnel in various roles from the country

European defense ministers meet in Poland to discuss Ukraine's defenses

Defense ministers and senior defense officials from 12 northern European countries are meeting in Poland on Monday to discuss stepping up deterrence and security on NATO's eastern flank and strengthening Ukraine's defenses, ahead of NATO's summer summit. They are meeting at military facilities in Legionowo, near Warsaw, as part of the so-called Northern Group - a platform for developing security initiatives for NATO and European Union members. Officials will also discuss preparation for the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to Denmark's Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. That summit is expected to gauge prospects for Ukraine's membership. Recently, the US agreed to allow training on American-made F-16 fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine. Initiated by Britain in 2010, The Northern Group includes The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the three Baltic states. Germany and Norway

Poland, Ukraine agree to restart transit of grain, says Polish minister

Grain transports from Ukraine via Poland will resume on Friday, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus has said, after two-day talks here with the Ukrainian side

US ready to lend Polish firm ORLEN $4 billion for nuclear energy plan

A project to develop small nuclear power reactors in Poland is moving forward, with a cooperation agreement between the Polish energy giant ORLEN and two U.S. government financial institutions signed Monday. Poland is turning toward renewable and non-carbon energy, away from its past reliance on its own coal. Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has also accelerated Poland's drive to cut its dependence on Russian oil and gas. In a ceremony at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Warsaw, the U.S. EXIM Bank signed a letter of interest in lending up to $3 billion and the U.S International Development Finance Corporation signed a letter of interest to lend up to $1 billion to the ORLEN Synthos Green Energy project for developing some 20 small modular reactors designed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski stressed that Russia's aggression against Ukraine almost 14 months ago reinforced the need to turn toward safe and reliable energy sources. At a later news conference,

Poland prohibits food imports from Ukraine to soothe Polish farmers

Poland's government said Saturday that it has decided to temporarily prohibit grain and other food imports from Ukraine as it seeks to soothe the rising anger of Polish farmers, who say they are losing huge amounts of money to a glut of Ukrainian grain on the market. Ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said at a party convention in eastern Poland that the Polish countryside is facing a moment of crisis, and that while Poland supports Ukraine, it was forced to act to protect its farmers. Today, the government has decided on a regulation that prohibits the importation of grain, but also dozens of other types of food, to Poland, Kaczynski said. The government announced that the ban on imports would last until June 30. The regulation also includes a prohibition on imports of sugar, eggs, meat, milk and other dairy products and fruits and vegetables. Farmers in neighboring countries have also complained about Ukrainian grain flooding their countries and creating a glut that has cause

Poland to be 1st NATO member to give Ukraine fighter jets to defend itself

Poland said Thursday it plans to give Ukraine about a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfil Kyiv's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes to defend itself against the Russian invasion. Warsaw will hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes "within the next few days," President Andrzej Duda said, and the rest needed servicing but would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe the total number can mean between 11 and 19. "They are in the last years of their functioning, but they are in good working condition," Duda said. He did not say whether other countries would follow suit, although Slovakia has said it would send its own disused MiGs to Ukraine. Poland also was the first NATO nation to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks. On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries also had pledged MiGs to Kyiv, but did not identify them. Both Poland and Slovakia had indicated they were

Poland may hand Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine within weeks

Poland's prime minister said Tuesday that his government may hand its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters jets over to Ukraine within the next four to six weeks. Poland's leaders said last week that sending the warplanes would be only done within a larger international coalition. Slovakia has also declared readiness to provide its MiG-29 planes to Kyiv and the two NATO nations have urged others to join in. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday said that Warsaw could send its MiGs within weeks, but didn't clarify whether there was any coalition ready to follow suit. Ukraine's air force is familiar with MiG-29s and could use the planes right away. Poland has been using the fighter jets since 1989 and has 28 of them. It has been replacing them with US-made F-16s and South Korean FA 50 multi-task jets and is also purchasing US F-35 fighters. Ukraine has been asking the West for fighter jets to beef up its defenses as Russia's war drags on for a second year. There are still no si

Poland, Slovakia urge allies to send fighter jets to Ukraine as war rages

Officials in Poland and Slovakia are urging their allies to provide fighter jets to Ukraine, saying they are ready to send their their Soviet-made MiG-29 jet fighters to Kyiv as part of an international coalition. However, it still remains unclear if any other Western supporters of Ukraine are ready to take that step. "I think it's time to make a decision. People in Ukraine are dying. We can really help them," Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said Thursday on Facebook. "This is inhumane and irresponsible." Slovak and Polish officials have made the calls before but have renewed their appeals in recent days. Both countries are NATO members. Polish President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday on CNN that Poland was ready to provide Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighters in coalition with other countries. Nad also said it was a matter of discussion between himself and his Polish counterpart at a meeting in Sweden on Wednesday and that they agree on the matter. Poland's Defense Ministry said i

Biden in Poland: US, allies 'will never waver' in supporting Ukraine

President Joe Biden warned of 'hard and bitter days ahead" as Russia's invasion of Ukraine nears the one-year mark, but vowed that no matter what, the United States and allies "will not waver" in supporting the Ukrainians. A day after his surprise visit to Kyiv, Biden used a strongly worded address in neighboring Poland to praise allies in Europe for stepping up over the past year and to send a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that "NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire. One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv, Biden said before a crowd of thousands outside Warsaw's Royal Castle. I can report: Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud. It stands tall and, most important, it stands free." With Russia and Ukraine each preparing spring offensives, Biden insisted there will be no backing down from what he's portrayed as a global struggle between democracy and autocracy though polling suggests American support for ongoing military assistance appear

US approves $10 billion arms sale to Poland as Ukraine war rages on

The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a USD 10 billion arms sale to NATO ally Poland as Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine rages. The State Department notified Congress that the sale comprises mid-range, mobile HIMARS artillery rocket systems, associated ammunition and related equipment. Poland and other eastern flank NATO allies become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a new Russian offensive in Ukraine along their borders as the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches toward the end of the month. The department said the sale would support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by bolstering the defensive capabilities of a NATO ally. The department also said Poland is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The proposed sale will improve Poland's military goals of updating capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies, it said. Poland intends to use these defen

Won't block Leopard tanks to Ukraine, says Germany's foreign minister

The Kyiv government wants the German-made Leopard 2 tank to break through Russian lines and recapture territory this year

We have decided to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine: Poland President Duda

'A company of Leopard tanks will be handed over as part of building an international coalition'

Poland to seek US help with WWII compensation from Germany: Dy FM Mularczyk

Poland will seek help from the US in its pursuit to claim World War II reparations from Germany, Deputy Foreign Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk said here.