Poland prime minister Donald Tusk ⁠hopes to ​defuse a ‘mistake’ from spiralling further; gasoline sales suspended in Crimea. What we know on day 1,580

A conflict between politicians in Poland ⁠and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk ⁠has cautioned, ⁠as he seeks to ​defuse a rekindled dispute over events that occurred during the second world war. Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday ⁠stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s top honour, prompting three former Ukrainian presidents and other senior officials ⁠to return their state awards to Poland. Nawrocki revoked the Order of ​the White Eagle after ‌Zelenskyy angered many in Poland ‌by renaming a Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, ‌nationalists who massacred Poles during the second world war.

“Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine ‌is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, ​a mistake is worse than a crime,” Tusk wrote in a post on X. The pro-European Tusk was elected prime minister in 2023, after leading a coalition that defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party with which Nawrocki is aligned.

Zelenskyy, in ⁠an interview posted on X, said Ukraine and Poland cannot ​be “anything but ​partners and friends,” adding that a ​political struggle could end in a “very dangerous escalation”. “Our service members ​choose a ‌heroic name for ​their unit themselves, ​and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” he said. “Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible.”

Officials in Russia-occupied Crimea have suspended civilian gasoline sales as Ukraine increases attacks on fuel supplies. The Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea said Ukrainian strikes killed four people and wounded 28 others overnight. He said local petrol stations will now only sell fuel to government agencies. The Crimean peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes before, but the current crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation. Social networks are filled with requests for fuel, and some speculators are selling gas at double the market price.

Zelenskyy described the attacks as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia’s energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy said in a statement that a Crimean oil depot, as well as an oil transport facility in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region were among the targets. “Russia understands only strength, and our long-range strength is certainly working for peace,” he said. Separately, overnight Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine killed three people.

Ukraine has in recent months also stepped up drone attacks on energy facilities in Russia, striking targets deep behind the frontlines. Last week, it hit a large refinery in Moscow twice. Ukraine says the attacks are aimed at denting oil revenues that Russia uses to fund the war. Some petrol stations in Russia, the world’s third-biggest oil producer, introduced fuel rationing this month. Fuel exports have been banned since April. Energy Intelligence, a US-based energy research firm, said earlier this month that about a third of Russian oil refining capacity had gone offline because of Ukrainian strikes.

Russia’s aviation authorities briefly closed Moscow’s four airports on Monday, after a flurry of drones were intercepted. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that 59 drones heading towards the city had been destroyed. Kyiv has sent drones into Russia in retaliation for Moscow bombing its cities, although Sobyanin did not specify that the drones were from Ukraine. Authorities announced at 5.39am that airports had reopened. Russia downed 301 drones overnight, state media reported on Monday.

Russian drones set fire to a cargo vessel en route to Ukraine and killed one of its crew, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said on Monday. “A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the Panama flag. A crew member was killed – a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt,” Oleksiy Kuleba wrote on Telegram. Kuleba said eight sailors, including citizens of Turkey and India, fled on a life raft, and that the vessel “sustained significant damage and lost seaworthiness”.

Zum 35-jährigen Bestehen des deutsch-polnischen Nachbarschaftsvertrags haben sich die Außenminister und Verteidigungsminister getroffen. Die Polen sind nicht zufrieden, aber es gibt Fortschritte.

Beim Gipfel in Évian werden die Europäer bei Trump für die Nato werben, einen Platz bei den Ukraine-Verhandlungen beanspruchen und wissen wollen, was der US-Präsident mit Iran ausgehandelt hat.

Der ukrainische Präsident Selenskij hat eine Armee-Einheit nach den nationalistischen UPA-Kämpfern aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg benannt. In Polen reagiert man gekränkt und erzürnt, denn die UPA ermordete auch polnische Zivilisten.

Torsten Bell and Dan Tomlinson criticise some of the arguments in ex-PM’s 5,700-word critique of Labour

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Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, posted this on social media about Tony Blair’s latest intervention this morning.

Tony Blair.

What the billionaire class have paid for.

Spot the difference between “Tony Blair says” and “Nigel Farage says”

Polens Präsident Nawrocki weigert sich, neue Verfassungsrichter zu vereidigen, durch die das Tribunal wieder unabhängig werden soll. Der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte stellt sich auf ihre Seite.

Die rechtsnationale oppositionelle PiS in Polen ist verunsichert von Viktor Orbáns Wahlniederlage in Ungarn. Und am rechten Rand wächst Konkurrenz. Parteichef Kaczyński setzt auf mehr Radikalität. Nicht alle machen mit.

Article 42.7 had languished in obscurity for decades – until Donald Trump began casting doubt on US commitment to Nato

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Most people have heard of Nato’s article 5. The “one for all, all for one” clause states an armed attack on one member country should be considered an attack on all, requiring member states to come to the victim’s aid – including with “the use of armed force”.

Not so many, till this week, had heard of the EU’s own mutual defence clause, article 42.7 (pdf), which says that if a member state comes under armed attack, the others “shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power”. That’s perhaps because there hadn’t, until recently, been much need for Europeans to consult article 42.7. More than 40 US military bases and 85,000 troops across the EU (and UK) were testament to Washington’s defence commitment to the old continent.

Sakharov prize winner was given eight-year sentence after process widely condemned as politically motivated

The Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov prize winner, has been freed after five years in a Belarusian penal colony as part of a US-brokered multi-country swap deal.

His release has been confirmed by Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, who posted a picture of him on social media, saying: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.”

Developments in Berlin and Tokyo show how far the strategic environment has shifted in response to authoritarian threat and American unpredictability

When Donald Trump hosted Sanae Takaichi, the Japanese prime minister, last month, he could not resist a gratuitous reference to Pearl Harbor. The US president is impelled to trash longstanding alliances. He has done more than anyone to demolish the postwar global order.

This week alone, the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, questioned whether the US would be “loyal” to Nato if Russia attacked. A Pentagon memo reportedly floated suspending Spain from Nato and reviewing support for the British claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. And a report said US officials believe that it has depleted munitions so rapidly in Iran as to put in question contingency plans to defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion in the near future.

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Péter Magyar hopes building stronger relations with Poland will help restore ties with bloc after Orbán’s rule

The Hungarian election winner, Péter Magyar, is eyeing a special relationship with Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk to draw on the neighbouring country’s experience of repairing relations with the EU after years of illiberal rule.

Since 1989, the two countries have seemingly shared parallels in their paths. Now the two centre-right, pro-European leaders preside over the tricky task of restoring the rule of law and improving state institutions after years of democratic backsliding and clashes with the EU.

Nach 16 Jahren Orbán steht Ungarn vor einem Neuanfang. Leicht wird es nicht. In Polen etwa wirkt die achtjährige PiS-Ära noch immer nach, in Brasilien die vier Jahre unter Bolsonaro. Was lässt sich daraus lernen?

Polens Regierungschef Donald Tusk freut sich über den Wahlsieg von Péter Magyar. Der erste Auslandsbesuch des Ungarn soll nach Warschau gehen. Doch dort weiß man auch: Das Regieren wird hart.

Congratulations pour in from across EU, with leaders from Spain, Poland, France, Britain, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and beyond hailing a new chapter

• Full report: Hungarian opposition ousts Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power

EU leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his decisive election victory in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity.

The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the EU’s 27 member states and its institutions.

Ungarns Ministerpräsident Orbán bekommt im Wahlkampf Unterstützung aus der Slowakei und Tschechien. Auch die PiS-Partei in Polen hofft auf seinen Sieg – im eigenen Interesse.

‘Sinister’ leaked audio appeared to capture Péter Szijjártó telling Moscow he would try to amend EU sanctions list to its liking

Polish and Irish leaders have called the Hungarian government’s actions “repulsive” and “sinister”, after leaked audio appeared to capture its foreign minister telling Moscow he would try to amend the EU sanctions list to its liking.

On Tuesday – days before an election in which Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is facing the toughest battle of his 16 years in power – a joint media investigation published a report that it said was based on leaked phone calls between Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Die EU möchte die Armeen ihrer Mitglieder besser ausstatten, Warschau sollte mit Abstand am meisten von dem Programm profitieren. Doch Staatschef Nawrocki hat ein Veto eingelegt. Kann Ministerpräsident Tusk es umgehen?