All posts tagged: Poland

Zelensky ignites fury by honouring Ukrainian WWII fighters who massacred Poles and Jews

Zelensky ignites fury by honouring Ukrainian WWII fighters who massacred Poles and Jews

Published by Sam Flores

Some things are better off staying buried. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a presidential decree on May 26 bestowing the honourary title of “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army”, or UPA, on an elite unit of the nation’s special forces.  As the armed wing of the far-right Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the UPA carved out a gruesome name for itself in the shifting borderlands between Poland and Ukraine during World War II.  It remains infamous in Poland for its role in the massacres of ethnic Poles and Jews in Volhynia and eastern Galicia – massacres that Polish historians believe killed tens of thousands civilians, and that the Polish state considers part of a deliberate campaign of genocide.  Read moreShould Zelensky’s government be afraid of far-right groups? Zelensky’s decree was all the more striking for having the uneasy makings of a pattern. The day before, the Jewish president had presided over the reburial of the repatriated remains of Andriy Melnyk in the national military ceremony near Kyiv.  Melnyk, who died in Germany in 1964 and had been …

Tripe soup and bitter coffee in the dining car: a nostalgic ride through Poland on a communist-era train | Poland holidays

Tripe soup and bitter coffee in the dining car: a nostalgic ride through Poland on a communist-era train | Poland holidays

Published by Sam Flores

Trainspotters jostled on platform 2 as sunshine lit up the polished olive-green carriages of the 11:07 from Warszawa Główna (Warsaw main station) to Poznań. As I was readying to board, a man, sporting bow tie and braces, zipped past me, making it to the steps first. Excitement was palpable. But then this was no ordinary train, but rather an event. A throwback in time. The Polish parliament had declared 2026 as the Year of Polish Railways, and there is a double jubilee under way: the 25th anniversary of the long-distance operator PKP Intercity and the centenary of Polish state railways. To celebrate, a series of retro rail journeys called Nieśpieszny (“Unhurried”) has been launched. Every weekend over the spring and summer (at least until the end of August, with more departures likely), a fully refurbished train from the 1980s, with livery matching the era, departs from a different region in Poland, from the mountainous south to the Baltic coast in the north. When my friend Mariusz mentioned this to me, knowing that I take an …

Poland’s president snubs Zelenskyy over historical slight – POLITICO

Poland’s president snubs Zelenskyy over historical slight – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Przemysław Czarnek, one of the leaders of PiS, called Zelenskyy’s decision a “scandal.” “You cannot talk about partnership with Poland and reconciliation one day, and then glorify the groups responsible for the massacre of thousands of Poles the next,” he said. Nawrocki said he’ll raise the issue of stripping Zelenskyy of the decoration during a June 8 meeting of the chapter in charge of the Order of the White Eagle. The Ukrainian president was given the honor by former President Andrzej Duda in 2023. Polish law says that an order can be taken away if “the decorated person has committed an act as a result of which that person has become unworthy of the order or decoration.” “In the European family, bandits and murderers who killed women and children, who killed Poles … cannot be glorified, and UPA cannot be glorified,” Nawrocki said. Tusk issued a warning to both sides. “If we quarrel about the past, someone else will win the future. The president of Ukraine should finally understand this. Poles too. Before it’s too …

Romania asks for NATO support after Russian drone crash – POLITICO

Romania asks for NATO support after Russian drone crash – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The alliance is “assessing what more can be done now to optimise Romania and NATO’s network of sensors and shooters to safely neutralize such threats,” the same official said. That could include bringing Romania’s MEROPS counter-drone system “under NATO command,”they said, adding that allies would “have an opportunity” to offer additional capabilities during an force generation conference early next month. Sorin Moldovan, Romania’s deputy defense minister, said last week at the POLITICO Speakeasy at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague that if there is a risk to civilians “you don’t give the [order] to fire.” The full list of kit Romania is asking for remains classified, but the country’s interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan listed specialized radars that detect low-altitude drones as one example of the type of equipment the government had requested from NATO partners. Radu Tudor, an independent security expert, argued one reason NATO had been slow to respond to previous Romanian air defense requests was down to the speed of Russian drone-related innovation, which rapidly puts NATO equipment out of date. “They are evolving …

Zelenskiy Could Be Stripped of Top Polish Honour, Poland’s President Says

Zelenskiy Could Be Stripped of Top Polish Honour, Poland’s President Says

Published by Sam Flores

By Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk WARSAW, May 29 (Reuters) – Poland’s president said on Friday he wanted ⁠a ⁠state body to discuss stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr ⁠Zelenskiy of Poland’s top honour, after Ukraine renamed an army unit after nationalist insurgents who massacred ​Poles in World War Two. Poland has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv during Russia’s war in Ukraine, and former President Andrzej Duda awarded Zelenskiy the ‌Order of the White Eagle in 2023. But Zelenskiy ‌has caused indignation in Poland by signing a decree recognising a Ukrainian special forces unit’s contribution to the fight against Russian forces by ⁠naming it after ⁠the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Some Ukrainians regard the UPA as heroes for the resistance they mounted ​against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and as symbols of Kyiv’s struggle for independence from Moscow. But the UPA was also involved in the Volhynia massacres, a series of killings from 1943 to 1945 in which Poland says around 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainian nationalists. Thousands of Ukrainians also died in reprisal ​killings. “Glorifying the …

EU’s big 6 pitch a rival to Wall Street – POLITICO

EU’s big 6 pitch a rival to Wall Street – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Back-to-back crises have limited the power of the public purse, so policymakers are hoping professional financiers and savers can do the heavy lifting by putting their money to work in the right places. EU citizens alone have €11 trillion of cash savings sitting in their bank accounts. But vying interests from within the industry and national governments, such as Ireland and Luxembourg, threaten to derail negotiations. That’s convinced the E6 group to agree on the fundamentals among themselves to speed the process along, triggering fears of a two-speed Europe in which some countries are left behind. “I don’t think a separate structure is feasible, because it would conflict with the prevailing perception in all member states today that fragmentation must stop,” Cyprus’ Finance Minister Makis Keravnos, who currently chairs Ecofin meetings, told POLITICO. Devil in the detail The broad strokes of the deal paper over internal divisions within the E6. While all six governments agree on upgrading the EU’s securities regulator into a supercop for the bloc, they disagree on how fast the process should …

EU’s big six reach deal on key markets package – POLITICO

EU’s big six reach deal on key markets package – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

One of the thorniest issues involves giving more supervisory powers to the EU’s markets body, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). France and Spain pushed to give ESMA sweeping new powers immediately, while Italy and the Netherlands pushed for a transition period of up to eight years. The discussions ended with the E6 agreeing to expand ESMA’s powers “as soon as possible” but without including a specific timeline, said two of the officials. In the final stages of the negotiations, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil left the room to consult with his aides in the gardens of the countryside mansion in Berlin where the meeting was being held. Earlier in the day, Klingbeil told reporters that he was “ready to make concessions” to secure a deal. The signatories of the agreement now face an uphill battle to advance a broader political agreement among the EU’s 27 countries, including arch skeptics Ireland and Luxembourg. In order for the EU to finalize a deal, it must be approved by 15 countries representing at least 65 percent …

Spain distances itself from call for EU to get tougher on China  – POLITICO

Spain distances itself from call for EU to get tougher on China  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Last Friday, Spain was among the large economies who signed onto a French position paper sent to the European Commission that called for the bloc to bolster its trade defenses, make greater use of its investigative capacities and potentially create a new tool to address market distortions.  But as first reported by POLITICO, within a few days Madrid appeared to get cold feet and began insisting the document, which was additionally co-signed by Italy, the Netherlands and Lithuania, had only been discussed at the technical level. Spain is often seen as one of the most China-friendly EU members. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has visited Beijing four times in as many years, and the country is among the most receptive to Chinese investment, particularly in the solar panel and automotive sectors. The new line from Madrid comes on the eve of a highly anticipated debate among European commissioners that seeks to kick off a rethink of the EU’s ties with China and to suggest measures to protect the bloc’s industries, which are being squeezed by a …

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Russia’s largest nuclear arsenal is located in the High North, just a few kilometers from Norway,” he said, adding that Norway would continue to primarily rely on NATO for its security. On March 2, the French president announced that Germany, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden had agreed to discuss nuclear cooperation with Paris. That could include joint nuclear drills, information sharing and, ultimately, the potential temporary deployment of French nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets in allied countries — a concept the French called “forward nuclear deterrence.” Since then, highly classified talks about exactly what the cooperation will entail have already begun with some nations, two officials told POLITICO. On Wednesday, Paris and Oslo also signed a wide-ranging bilateral defense and security deal — dubbed the Narvik agreement — that includes a mutual assistance clause, more dialogue between their armed forces and cooperation on air defense, space and Arctic security, Macron said. In the past few years, the French president has sought to increase his country’s defense ties with Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland …

Brussels watchdog moves to ban Alternative for Germany’s EU party – POLITICO

Brussels watchdog moves to ban Alternative for Germany’s EU party – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The ESN political group doesn’t face sanctions, and the only effect that AfD MEPs would feel would be the lack of a political party to provide support in future EU elections or to coordinate policy with like-minded factions. The ESN party and ESN group were founded by Alternative for Germany in the wake of the 2024 EU election, and include Bulgaria’s Revival, France’s Reconquest (led by Éric Zemmour), Poland’s Confederation, Czechia’s SPD, Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement, the Netherlands’ Forum for Democracy, and Slovakia’s Republic Movement. In 2026 it is slated to receive over €2 million in subsidies from the European Parliament. The watchdog — the Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations — said it had found evidence that “cast doubt on the compliance” of the ESN party with EU values, the director of the authority, Pascal Schonard, wrote in a letter. The missive was addressed to the Council of the EU — comprising representatives of national governments — and was seen by POLITICO on Wednesday. The watchdog’s process was launched on Friday. The watchdog monitors whether …