WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Aides to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Saturday that his experts have begun analyzing a highly contentious law on Russia’s alleged influence in Poland, ahead of his decision on whether to sign it.
Polish president Duda hails a European Games without Russia
April 3, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Ahead of his country soon hosting the multi-sport European Games with no Russian or Belarusian athletes, Poland President Andrzej Duda thanked Olympic officials on Monday for excluding the military invaders of Ukraine.
Poland’s president hails significance of upcoming Biden trip
February 18, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president said Saturday that he thinks a two-day visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to mark the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine will produce developments of global significance.
Polish officials observe training of Ukrainians on new tanks
February 13, 2023 GMTSWIETOSZOW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president and defense minister met Monday with Polish and foreign instructors intensively training Ukrainian troops to operate the German-made Leopard 2 tanks that some European countries and Canada have offered Kyiv to help fight the Russian invasion.
Polish leader asks court to vet bill that’s key for EU aid
February 10, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Friday he is sending a controversial new law on judicial accountability for constitutional review instead of rejecting it, because it could help unfreeze billions in European Union funds earmarked for Poland.
Poland lawmakers back law intended to release EU funds
January 13, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s legislators voted Friday to approve a new law on judicial accountability that the government hopes will meet European Union expectations and help unfreeze billions of euros in pandemic recovery funds for the country.
Poland to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, if others do, too
January 11, 2023 GMTLVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Poland has decided to send a company of Leopard tanks to help neighboring Ukraine in the war with invading Russia, President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday.
Polish leaders meet, discuss further support for Ukraine
January 9, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda met Monday with the prime minister and some of his ministers to discuss security issues amid the war in neighboring Ukraine, including Kyiv's request for delivery of Western-made heavy battle tanks.
Polish leader at Hanukkah thanks Jews for aiding Ukrainians
December 19, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's president led a Hanukkah ceremony on Monday where he paid tribute to Jewish communities in Poland and worldwide for the help they have extended to Ukrainian refugees this year.
First delivery of S. Korean heavy weapons comes to Poland
December 6, 2022 GMTGDYNIA, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda and the country's defense minister on Tuesday took delivery of a first shipment of tanks and howitzers from South Korea, hailing the swift implementation of a deal signed in the summer in the face of the war in neighboring Ukraine.
Polish leader briefs Russian pranksters posing as Macron
November 22, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russian comedians pretending to be the French president tricked the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, into giving them sensitive information after a missile exploded in eastern Poland last week.
Poland, NATO say missile strike wasn’t a Russian attack
November 16, 2022 GMTPRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance both said Wednesday that a missile strike in Polish farmland that killed two people appeared to be unintentional and was probably launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine.
Poland buries remains of historic democratic leaders
November 12, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has brought back from England and ceremoniously re-buried the remains of three presidents-in-exile whose service during World War II and the Cold War preserved the nation’s democratic traditions while the country was under oppression.
Poland wary of Russia’s potential nuclear threat
October 26, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s government is closely monitoring Russia’s movements in neighboring Ukraine to prepare for the Kremlin's potential use of nuclear or chemical weapons, the central European country's deputy defense minister said Wednesday.
Polish official with doubted assassination theory honored
September 24, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Andrzej Duda of Poland on Friday awarded the country's top civilian honor to a communist-era pro-democracy fighter who recently was accused in the media of manipulating evidence while investigating a presidential plane crash in Russia that killed 96 prominent Poles.
Poland opens new sea waterway to cut dependence from Russia
September 17, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s top leaders celebrated the opening Saturday of a new — albeit unfinished — canal that they say will mean ships no longer must secure Russia’s permission to sail from the Baltic Sea to the ports of the Vistula Lagoon.
Poland, South Korea seal $3 billion military aircraft deals
September 16, 2022 GMTJANOW, Poland (AP) — Poland on Friday sealed $3 billion in deals with South Korea for the purchase of 48 Korean FA-50 fighter planes as the central European country takes urgent steps to increase its deterrence and defense capabilities amid Russia’s war on neighboring Ukraine.
Poles mark 1944 revolt against Nazis; compare it to Ukraine
August 1, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poles on Monday marked the 78th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a doomed 1944 revolt against Nazi German forces, with some including the president comparing the wartime Polish resistance to that of Ukrainians today fighting Russia's invasion.
Poland, Israel improve ties as ambassador starts work
July 12, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland and Israel have taken a step toward normalizing diplomatic ties, the Polish president said Tuesday, as the Israeli ambassador officially presented his credentials in Warsaw.
Poland marks WWII-era massacre by Ukrainian nationalists
July 11, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s leaders marked the anniversary of the World War II-era Ukrainian massacre of Poles Monday by stressing that only the full truth about the neighborly violence that Poland describes as genocide can strengthen and serve bilateral ties in the future.
Polish and Lithuanian leaders meet troops at NATO bottleneck
July 7, 2022 GMTSZYPLISZKI, Poland (AP) — The presidents of NATO members Poland and Lithuania voiced confidence Thursday that allied troops can fully safeguard a strategically vital corridor, which links their countries, between Russian ally Belarus and a Russian Baltic Sea exclave.
EU official says Poland’s judiciary changes insufficient
June 30, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — A patched-up dispute between the European Union and Poland over judicial independence revived Thursday when a top EU official said new Polish regulations did not meet expectations, threatening the flow of billions of euros in recovery funds to Warsaw.
Poland changes judiciary law; demands EU release COVID funds
June 14, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland has replaced a controversial body that disciplined judges with a new accountability panel — the latest twist in a long-running dispute with the European Union over the country's judicial independence — and Poland's leading politician said Tuesday he hoped the EU would have a “proper” reaction to the move.
Poland’s divisive disciplinary body restores judge to work
May 23, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s controversial disciplinary chamber for the country's top court on Monday changed its own previous ruling and ordered an outspoken judge reinstated to work.
The decision comes as Poland’s leaders are debating abolishing the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, which has been a sore point in Poland's relations with the European Union and an obstacle in obtaining much-needed EU funds for pandemic recovery.
Russia presses Donbas attacks as Polish leader praises Kyiv
May 23, 2022 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pressed its offensive in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as Poland’s president traveled to Kyiv to support the country’s European Union aspirations, becoming the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.
Russia’s claim of Mariupol’s capture fuels concern for POWs
May 22, 2022 GMTPOKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) — Concern mounted Saturday over Ukrainian fighters who became prisoners at the end of Russia's brutal three-month siege of Mariupol, as a Moscow-backed separatist leader vowed they would face tribunals.
Poland’s controversial central bank chief secures 2nd term
May 12, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s controversial central bank chief narrowly won a second term Thursday after the country's governing coalition was able to muster enough votes in parliament for his re-election.
Pelosi thanks Poland for Ukraine support, meets president
May 2, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — A top-level U.S. congressional delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Warsaw on Monday to express gratitude to Poland for their humanitarian and other support for Ukraine.
Polish leader calls for Ukraine unity at Holocaust event
April 28, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda denounced Russia's war against Ukraine on Thursday as he joined Holocaust survivors and people from around the world at an annual observance at the former site of Auschwitz.
Poland holds composer Penderecki’s state funeral after delay
March 29, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The ashes of Poland’s award-winning composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki were laid to rest during a state funeral filled with his music Tuesday after a two-year delay brought on by the pandemic.
Biden sends subtle message to Polish leaders on democracy
March 26, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — In a forceful speech in Warsaw denouncing Russia's Vladimir Putin and praising Ukrainians, President Joe Biden on Saturday also appeared to have a more subtle message for his Polish hosts.
‘No mercy’: Mariupol bombing compared to Nazi war crimes
March 22, 2022 GMTMEDYKA, Poland (AP) — The president of Poland compared Russia’s attacks on Ukraine to Nazi forces during World War II, saying Tuesday that besieged Mariupol looks like Warsaw in 1944 after the Germans bombed houses and killed civilians “with no mercy at all.”
In visit, Biden will thank Polish leader for refugee efforts
March 22, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will thank Poland's president for the country's efforts to shelter Ukrainian refugees as part of his trip this week to Europe as Russian forces bear down in a nearly-month old invasion.
White House: Biden to visit Poland on Europe trip this week
March 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has added a stop in Poland to his trip this week to Europe for urgent talks with NATO and European allies, as Russian forces concentrate their fire upon cities and trapped civilians in a nearly month-old invasion of Ukraine.
Trudeau: Canada will take as many Ukraine refugees as it can
March 10, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday during a visit to Poland that his country will take as many refugees fleeing war in Ukraine “as we can.”
US VP Harris embraces call for war crimes probe of Russia
March 10, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday embraced calls for an international war crimes investigation of Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, citing the “atrocities” of bombing civilians, LASK AIR BASE, Poland (AP) — NATO's chief said Tuesday that, despite Russia's threats about nuclear weapons, the alliance sees no need to change its own nuclear weapons alert level. The alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke to The Associated Press following talks on European security with Polish President Andrzej Duda at an air base in Lask, central Poland, where NATO’s Polish and U.S.NATO chief sees no need to change nuclear alert level
March 1, 2022 GMT
EU says concerns over rule of law in Poland persist
February 22, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — A top European Union official said Tuesday that serious concerns remain about the respect for rule of law in Poland despite plans by the country’s president to abolish a disputed legal chamber.
Xi meets Poland, Pakistan leaders in Olympic diplomacy
February 6, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met Sunday with leaders from Poland and Pakistan in a flurry of diplomacy on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
Xi told President Andrzej Duda that China seeks to further improve ties with Poland, whose warm relationship with Beijing has not sat well with main rival the United States.
Breaking EU ranks, Polish leader in Beijing diplomacy push
February 4, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Alone among his fellow European Union leaders, Poland's president was in Beijing Friday for the Winter Olympics opening in what his office said was a bid to maintain good ties with China and lobby for an easing of Russia-Ukraine tensions.
Polish president proposes abolishing disputed court chamber
February 3, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda said Thursday he is sending to parliament for approval a draft law that would abolish a top court’s disciplinary chamber in order to end a bitter dispute with the European Union.
Poland says Russia-Ukraine tensions not seen in decades
January 28, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Russian troop movements near Ukraine’s border that have ratcheted up fears of a potential invasion have complicated the international political scene to a degree not seen in decades, Poland's president said Friday.
Poland’s president tests positive for COVID for 2nd time
January 5, 2022 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for COVID-19 but has no serious symptoms, an aide said Wednesday.
The aide, Pawel Szrot, said on Twitter that Duda was under medical observation but feels well.
Polish president vetoes media bill that targeted US company
December 27, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president on Monday vetoed a media bill that would have forced U.S. company Discovery to give up its controlling share in Polish television network TVN.
For many, it was a victory for freedom of speech and media independence in a country where democratic norms are being challenged by the nationalist government.
Poland, Lithuania back Ukraine, urge Russia sanctions
December 20, 2021 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Poland and Lithuania joined Ukraine on Monday to call for stronger Western sanctions against Moscow amid a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border that has fueled fears of an invasion.
Polish lawmakers overturn senate veto on disputed media law
December 17, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s president will have the final decision on a controversial media bill seen as targeting a U.S.-owned TV network that's often critical of the Polish government, after lawmakers on Friday overturned a Senate veto on the proposed legislation.
Polish lawmakers OK anti-migrant wall on Belarus border
October 29, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s lawmakers on Friday approved the speedy construction of a $402 million barrier on the European Union member’s border with Belarus, seeking to stop the increasing flow of migrants.
Poland’s president discusses security with King of Jordan
October 26, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Poland on Tuesday for talks with President Andrzej Duda on security issues and further defense cooperation.
The two leaders met at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.
Poland’s president urges EU to stop Belarus migrant ‘push’
October 7, 2021 GMTNICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The European Union should take “specific actions” to stop Belarus “pushing” migrants across its border into Polish territory, Poland's president said on Thursday.
President Andrzej Duda didn’t outline what those actions might be, but said he’s hoping for assistance beyond what the 27-member bloc’s border agency FRONTEX is already providing on the ground.
Polish gov’t to ask president to extend state of emergency
September 28, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The spokesman for Poland’s government said the authorities will ask President Andrzej Duda to extend by 60 days the state of emergency along the border with Belarus to support efforts to stop an influx of migrants there that Warsaw says is organized by Belarus.
Polish nun, cardinal who defied communism are beatified
September 12, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's top political leaders on Sunday attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic church — a cardinal who led the Polish church's resistance to communism and a blind nun who devoted her life to helping others who couldn't see.
Polish Senate rejects media bill affecting US-owned company
September 10, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's Senate voted on Thursday to reject a media bill seen as targeting a U.S.-owned television network's ability to keep broadcasting independent news that is often critical of the right-wing government.
Hungary offers to help Poland with border surveillance
September 9, 2021 GMTBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The Hungarian government has offered to assist Poland in conducting border surveillance on its eastern border with Belarus in an effort to deter migrants from entering the country illegally, Hungary's president said Thursday.
Polish lawmakers uphold state of emergency at Belarus border
September 6, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament voted Monday to uphold the state of emergency along the border with Belarus that was declared last week amid migration pressure.
The vote came after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told lawmakers that the country faces a threat from Russia and Belarus as he sought support for the state of emergency, which was declared last week by President Andrzej Duda — a step unprecedented in the country's post-communist history.
EXPLAINER: Why Poland declared state of emergency at border
September 2, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda declared a state of emergency in areas along the border with Belarus Thursday, following a surge in illegal migration.
Poland is now the third European Union member to impose a state of emergency in areas bordering Belarus — after Lithuania and Latvia did so earlier this summer arguing that they face a “hybrid war” attack.
Poland seeks state of emergency along border with Belarus
August 31, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's government asked the president Tuesday to declare a state of emergency along the border with Belarus as it tries to stop migrants from entering from the neighboring country.
Moldova marks 30 years of independence from Soviet rule
August 27, 2021 GMTCHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western president was joined Friday in the capital Chisinau by her counterparts from Romania, Poland, and Ukraine to celebrate the country’s three decades of independence from Soviet rule.
Israel condemns Poland restitution law, recalls top diplomat
August 15, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Israel on Saturday condemned Poland’s approval of a law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors or their descendants to reclaim property seized by the country’s former communist regime and announced it was recalling its top diplomat in protest.
Polish lawmakers pass bill seen as limiting media freedom
August 12, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would force Discovery Inc., the U.S. owner of Poland’s largest private television network, to sell its Polish holdings and is widely viewed as an attack on media independence in Poland.
Poland’s PM wants accord with EU on law and judiciary
August 2, 2021 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says he wants to reach “some kind of accord” with the European Union amid a standoff over the way Poland's government has sought to discipline judges and other judicial changes.