Polish president-elect voices opposition to Ukraine joining EU
Ukraine must meet specific conditions before joining the European Union and cannot currently become a NATO member, Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki said in an interview with national media on Monday.
Nawrocki restated his stance on Kiev's membership aspirations on Polsat News channel, as he prepares to take over presidential duties in early August. He confirmed that he intends to meet with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky after his inauguration.
"I am against Ukraine's unconditional accession to the European Union," Nawrocki said. It made strategic sense for Ukraine to join the 27-strong bloc, he said, but stressed that such a partnership must be grounded in equality.
Nawrocki recalled that Poland itself had to spend years meeting the EU's entry requirements.
He mentioned friction between the two nations regarding Ukraine's access to the Polish agricultural market and Kiev's glorification of historical figures responsible for atrocities against Poles during World War II.
"Today, there is no possibility for Ukraine to join NATO," Nawrocki added. He argued that Ukraine's active conflict with Russia means that all NATO countries would be dragged in, in such a case.
Russia has long cited NATO's pledge to admit Ukraine, first formally declared in 2008, as a core threat to its national security. Moscow has said deepening NATO-Ukraine ties since the 2014 coup in Kiev were a key factor underlying the current conflict.
The EU, originally established for economic integration, is increasingly seen in Moscow as a hostile military power in its own right. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently described it as "essentially a branch, or rather an appendage of NATO."
Brussels has advocated a rapid military buildup across EU member states, projecting hundreds of billions of euros in defense spending as a deterrent to Moscow. Russian officials have dismissed these efforts as fear-based tactics meant to divert funding from social programs.
(RT.com)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
US warns trading partners: Strike deals or face tariffs by August 1
WASHINGTON: US tariffs will kick in on August 1 if trading partners from Taiwan to the European Union do not strike deals with Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. The rates will "boomerang back" to the sometimes very high levels which President Donald Trump had announced on April 2 – before he suspended the levies to allow for trade talks and set a July 9 deadline for agreement, Bessent told CNN. Bessent confirmed comments by Trump to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday in which he also cited a new deadline: "Well, I'll probably start them on August 1. Well, that's pretty early. Right?" The president said he had signed 12 letters to be sent out, likely on Monday. The tariffs were part of a broader announcement in April where Trump imposed a 10 per cent duty on goods from almost all trading partners, with a plan to step up these rates for a select group within days. But he swiftly paused the hikes until July 9, allowing for trade talks to take place. Countries have been pushing to strike deals that would help them avoid these elevated duties. So far, the Trump administration has unveiled deals with the United Kingdom and Vietnam, while Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower staggeringly high levies on each other's products. Bessent said the administration was "close to several deals." "I would expect to see several big announcements over the next couple of days," he said. But he would not say which countries he was referring to, adding: "I don't want to let them off the hook." As his July 9 deadline approaches, Trump has repeatedly said he plans to inform countries of US tariff rates by sending them letters. Aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said sending notices would be much easier than "sitting down and working 15 different things... this is what you have to pay, if you want to do business (with) the United States." Bessent pushed back at CNN host Dana Bash's assertion the administration was using threats rather than negotiations, and denied that Trump was setting a new deadline with the August 1 date. "It's not a new deadline. We are saying, this is when it's happening. If you want to speed things up, have at it. If you want to go back to the old rate, that's your choice," he said. He said the playbook was to apply "maximum pressure" and cited the European Union as an example, saying they are "making very good progress" after a slow start. EU and US negotiators are holding talks over the weekend, and France's finance minister said Saturday he hoped they could strike a deal this weekend. Other countries were still expressing unease, however. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday he "won't easily compromise" in trade talks with Washington.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
US trade partners race for deals as Trump readies tariff notices on Monday (July 7)
SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bloomberg): Major US trading partners scrambled over the weekend to finalise trade deals or lobby for extra time as President Donald Trump said he's notifying about a dozen countries on Monday of the new tariff level on their shipments to the US. "I signed some letters and they'll go out on Monday - probably 12,' Trump told reporters over the Fourth of July weekend, adding that the missives involve "different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs and somewhat different statements.' Asked to identify the countries, he said, "I have to announce it on Monday.' Trump's latest remarks suggest talks remain fluid and deals elusive, three days before the July 9 deadline announced by the US administration. The letters initially were supposed to go out on July 4 with a tariff imposition date of Aug. 1, based on Trump's earlier comments. But US officials were busily negotiating through the holiday weekend, including with Japan, South Korea, the European Union, India and Vietnam. One of Trump's signature moves in dealmaking is a unilateral threat when negotiations reach critical stages, so it's unclear whether the letters he describes are real, or merely meant to strike fear into trading partners still reluctant to offer last-minute concessions. After Trump announced an agreement with Vietnam last week, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiators were still coordinating with their US counterparts to finalize the details. While an interim accord with India was also expected to be reached, officials in New Delhi have signaled a tougher stance in recent days, threatening levies on some US goods in retaliation to Washington's higher tariffs on automobiles and their components. Also concerned about auto tariffs is South Korea, which has discussed with US officials extending the deadline in a last-ditch bid to avert higher levies. Basking in a major legislative win last week and with the US stock market at record levels, Trump's newest trade barriers risk re-igniting investors' concerns about a broad and complex new web of customs duties to be paid by American importers. The initial rollout of Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs on April 2 sparked fears of a US recession and sent markets tumbling. That gave way to a 90-day freeze of those rates at 10% through July 9 for the more than 50 nations targeted. On top of the additional costs that tariffs create for US companies that purchase goods from abroad, domestic exporters face the possibility of retaliation from economies, including the EU. EU member states were briefed on the status of negotiations on Friday after a round of talks in Washington last week ,and were told that a technical agreement in principle was close, Bloomberg News previously reported. Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the country is prepared for all possible tariff scenarios. Speaking on Fuji TV's "Sunday News The Prime' program, he said Japan - another major auto producer trying to avoid Trump's tariffs - is ready to "stand firm' and defend its interests while anticipating every possible situation. Cambodia's government said in a statement on Friday that it had agreed with the US on a framework agreement that will be released publicly soon, with a pledge to continue cooperating closely. At 49%, Cambodia's threatened reciprocal tariff was among Trump's highest. The Southeast Asian nation is a sizeable exporter of textiles and footwear to the US. --With assistance from Aya Wagatsuma, Hyonhee Shin, Alberto Nardelli, Jorge Valero and Shruti Srivastava. -- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Brazil opens BRICS summit in Rio, leaders of growing bloc, however, gather, without Xi or Putin
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) holding an empty box representing Vietnamese fish, and Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, holding an empty box representing Brazilian beef, pose for photos after signing a bilateral trade agreement, ahead of the upcoming 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Saturday, July 5, 2025. - AP Photo/Bruna Prado RIO DE JANEIRO (dpa): Leaders of the BRICS group of major emerging economies are meeting in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday for a two-day summit. The BRICS acronym is derived from the initial letters of the founding member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In early 2024, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates joined the group, while Indonesia entered in January. Chaired by Brazil, the summit plans to address health policy, artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change. But for the first time, Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending in person for the first time, sending Prime Minister Li Qiang in his place. Nor will Russian President Vladimir Putin be attending as he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022. Brazil, as a signatory to the Rome Statute, would be required to enforce the arrest warrant. The BRICS countries say they represent around 48.5% of the world's population, 36% of global land area and 24% of global economic output. The countries see themselves as a forum for cooperation between countries of the Global South. The group aims to act as a counterweight to the Group of Seven (G7) of leading Western economic powers. - dpa
