Poland hosts Blinken, joins calls to lift weapons restrictions on Ukraine

[1/6]U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Polish President Andrzej Duda attend a meeting, in Warsaw, Poland, September 12, 2024. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Blinken praised Poland for the increase, which he called the “gold standard” for members of the NATO alliance.

The top U.S. diplomat, who earlier this week also visited Britain, met Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda as well as Sikorski on Thursday.

HYBRID ATTACKS

Warsaw has repeatedly accused Moscow of attempting to destabilize Poland because of its role in supplying military aid to its neighbour Ukraine, allegations Russia has dismissed.

Poland accuses Russia of orchestrating a campaign of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks. It has also accused Russia and its ally Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis on its eastern border. Moscow denies those accusations too.

Blinken said such “hybrid attacks” were “part of a deliberate strategy that Russia is engaged in” and that NATO allies were making sure this had consequences for Moscow, citing the broad sanctions imposed by Western nations since 2022.

He also praised Poland for its progress in transitioning away from Russian energy since the war began, and said he discussed with Sikorski ways that Washington could further this transition.

Poland said ahead of the talks with Blinken that cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, including building the first Polish nuclear power plant, would be on the agenda.

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Reporting by Barbara Erling, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Gareth Jones

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Daphne Psaledakis is a foreign policy correspondent based in Washington, D.C., where she covers U.S. sanctions, Africa and the State Department. She has covered the rollout of U.S. sanctions on Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Washington’s efforts to enforce its sanctions and the U.S. response to the conflict in Ethiopia, among other issues. She previously covered European Union politics and energy and climate policy for Reuters in Brussels as part of an Overseas Press Club Foundation fellowship in 2019. Daphne holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Print and Digital News and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies.

Source link : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/blinken-discuss-support-ukraine-visit-poland-2024-09-12/

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Publish date : 2024-09-12 07:00:00

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