Poland Update –Poland and Russia & more – 23rd May 2023

rd of May: 2023

Let’s start the day with the troubled relationship between Russia and Poland...

On Wednesday, the 17th, the Russian ambassador in Poland said that there is a possibility of breaking diplomatic relations with Poland. Reporters gave the details of an interview that a Russian newspaper conducted with the ambassador. The ambassador stated that there is an intense russophobic madness in the country. He said Poland’s only goal is to see Russia lose on the battlefield against collective Western forces. Despite the harsh words, the Polish ministry of foreign affairs announced that it would not initiate an official reaction to the ambassador’s expressions.

The tension between the two countries also moved into cyberspace…

On Thursday, the 18th, Polish news websites faced a Russian cyberattack. Major news agencies had to suspend their websites as several cyberattacks targeted them this week. Stanisław Żaryn, the Polish government’s commissioner for the security of the information space, stated that the government has launched a technical investigation into the attack. He said the attack was consistent with Russia’s efforts to destabilize the Polish state and its functions.

Speaking of Russia,

On Friday, the 19th, Poland urged China to put pressure on Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine. Wojciech Gerwel, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister, met with the Chinese Eurasian envoy in Warsaw at the request of the Chinese government. The Chinese envoy is seeking to find a political solution to the invasion of Russia by conducting visits to European countries. In his Poland visit, Gerwel urged China to condemn the invasion.

Poland will also push for compensation from Russia,

On Monday, the 22nd, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Deputy Foreign Minister, said that Poland will also ask for compensation from Russia, just like it did from Germany. Poland is preparing a report on the losses suffered by the Soviet Union while the country controlled all of Poland after World War II. Polish government officials are not comfortable with either Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, as they claim both damaged Polish heritage during and after World War II. Previously, Polish authorities had officially asked for war compensation from Germany.

On Wednesday, the 17th, Andrej Duda, the president, expressed his opinion about providing F-16s to Ukraine. He said that the country has a few F-16s but it will continue to train Ukrainian pilots to operate MiG-29s that Poland has provided.

On that note about the military,

On Thursday, the 18th, Mariusz Błaszczak, the minister of defense, announced that Italy is sending a guided-missile destroyer to boost Polish coastal defense. Błaszczak visited Italy to hold bilateral talks with his counterpart. The officials talked about military relations, the current situation in Ukraine, and efforts to change the discourse according to the interests of Western countries. The minister said that the vessel would arrive in Poland in a few days.

That’s all for foreign affairs; let’s get into domestic affairs…

The competition between the ruling party and the opposition intensifies as the elections approach...

On Wednesday, the 17th, Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party, said that he sent a proposal to increase the pension in the Family 500+ program. This week, the ruling party announced that it would increase the pension for children in the Family 500+ program next year. Donald Tusk said that the offer was an election game of the ruling party. To prove that, he submitted a proposal to the parliament to increase the amount this year in June, unlike what the government wanted for next year. Tusk invited the ruling party to approve the change together with the opposition party.

On the same news, Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, said that there is no possibility of changing the Family 500+ program for the time being. Because of the opposition’s proposal, the PM called Donald Tusk a ‘fraud' and accused him of being unreliable.

Speaking of the Prime Minister,

On Sunday, the 21st, the participants of a survey expressed that they expect Mateusz Morawiecki to be the next president after Andrej Duda, whose term of office is ending. Participants of the survey also voted for Beata Szydło, the former prime minister, and Elżbieta Witek, the president of the parliament, as potential candidates for the presidency.

Another competition continues within the ruling coalition…

On Tuesday, the 23rd, Gazeta Wyborcza, a newspaper, claimed that the coalition partner of the ruling party could block the proposal for the Constitutional Tribunal in the parliament. Recently, relations between the ruling party and Sovereign Poland, its coalition partner, have gotten worse. As a result, the newspaper claimed that Sovereign Poland may not support the proposal to change the structure of the Constitutional Tribunal and act with the opposition.

This week, it appeared that opposition parties were working on a common pact…

On Tuesday, the 23rd, reporters revealed that the opposition parties are working on a common pact before the elections. The pact is called ‘The Sejm Pact’. Opposition parties are negotiating about seven points, in which they would agree to conduct only peaceful measures before and during the elections. Also, parties will seek ways to maximize the opposition's votes. Most importantly, they would agree to give all their efforts to forming a coalition after the election. So far, the Civic Platform, the Polish People's Party, and the Left parties seem to agree on the pact.

On that note, the Polish People's party…

d an alliance with the Poland: 2050

The debates are not only limited to political parties this week, but also about the army…

ssile that hit Poland in late: 2022

Concerning the issue, the president summoned officials to an important meeting…

On Thursday, the 18th, The president and the commanders of the Polish army conducted a very important meeting after the increasing tensions between the army and government. Senior army officials, the defense minister, and top diplomats attended the meeting at the presidential palace in Warsaw. Reporters stated that the meeting was crucial for the cooperation between the government and the army commanders amid the threats from Russia.

On the same news, reporters stated that the army could not find the spy hot air balloon that had entered Polish airspace last week. The operation to find the object is ongoing.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! We want to hear from you! Write to us at poland@rorshok.com

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