Poland's Tusk unveils new cabinet in bid to reverse decline in polls
WARSAW - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday in a bid to regain momentum amid falling approval ratings and potential clashes with the new, opposition-backed nationalist president.
Since Karol Nawrocki's victory over Tusk's liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski in June's presidential election, dissension within the ruling pro-European coalition has grown, raising doubt about its future under a veto-wielding head of state.
Under the reshuffle, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was promoted to deputy prime minister while keeping his current post. "We as a government need a very strong political figure in international relations," Tusk told reporters.
To consolidate oversight of economic affairs, Tusk announced a new superministry combining finance and the economy to be headed by current Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski.
"The most important structural undertaking is building a viable financial and economic centre. There will be a single centre operating transparently and implementing a comprehensive economic policy," Tusk said.
Milosz Motyka from junior coalition party PSL will head a newly created energy ministry. A judge, Waldemar Zurek, was named to run the justice ministry as it seeks to shore up rule of law standards that critics say deteriorated under the previous nationalist government.
Tusk's coalition has steadily declined in opinion polls since mid-2024. This month, the share of government opponents has risen to 48% while the government's support has held steady at 32%, the latest CBOS poll showed.
Polls have traced the government's drop in popularity to public disenchantment with a lack of concrete achievements, with the opposition landing effective blows over a failure to stem undocumented migration into Poland.
The reshuffle drew criticism from the main opposition Law and Justice party, which lost power in the 2023 election.
"Reconstruction means nothing other than the further destruction of Poland. Some incompetents were replaced by others," the party's vice president, Mariusz Blaszczak, said in a post on X.
Nawrocki, who will be sworn in as president on August 6, has questioned the coalition's pro-European, liberal agenda but said he is willing to accept moves to increase the tax-free pay threshold and deregulate parts of the economy.
"All laws that will be good for Poles will meet with my approval," Nawrocki said in the televised interview on Monday.
Tusk, in his remarks announcing the reshuffle, called on supporters not to despair after Nawrocki's presidential victory.
"No defeat, including the presidential election, justifies this mood or despair, this slackness, these thoughts of surrender ... The time of post-election trauma definitely ends today," the former European Council president said. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US-South Korea trade talks cancelled due to Bessent schedule, ministry says
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference following a weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington DC in June. SEOUL - Talks between top South Korean and US officials to negotiate over US President Donald Trump's tariffs have been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict for US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, South Korea's finance ministry said on July 24. The two sides will reschedule the meeting between Mr Bessent and South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, as well as the top trade envoys of both countries, as soon as possible, the ministry said. Mr Koo was set to board a flight for Washington on July 24 to attend the meeting on July 25 in the hope of hammering out a deal that would spare Asia's fourth-largest economy from Mr Trump's punishing 25 per cent tariffs set to take effect on Aug 1. Pressure on South Korea heightened this week after Japan clinched a deal with the United States, which Mr Trump said would see Tokyo allowing greater market access for American products including autos and some agricultural products. Mr Koo had said on July 22 that Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo and him would hold talks with US counterparts at the request of the American officials. Trade envoy Yeo and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who have travelled to Washington this week, have been meeting with US officials as scheduled, the South Korean government said. REUTERS
Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine, Russia launch drone strikes after latest round of peace talks
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Ukraine and Russia launched drone strikes against each other early on Thursday, officials from both sides said, within hours of the conclusion of the latest round of direct talks aimed at finding a solution after nearly three and half years of war. Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian Black Sea areas, killing one person, injuring another and hitting an oil storage depot. Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, triggering several fires in residential and other buildings. Emergency officials in Russia's Krasnodar region on the Black Sea said on the Telegram messaging app that debris from a falling drone struck and killed a woman in Adler district near the resort city of Sochi. A second woman was being treated in hospital for serious injuries. The administrative head of the Sirius federal district, south of Sochi, said a drone hit an oil base, but gave no further details. Russia's Rosaviatsia aviation authority said operations were suspended at Sochi airport for about four hours. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump was told he is in Epstein files, Wall Street Journal reports Opinion The US dollar is down, but it has a lot going for it Singapore Judge asks prosecution for more information on Kpods in first case involving etomidate-laced vapes Singapore Singapore Oceanarium will enhance tourism while supporting sustainability: Grace Fu Singapore 5 teens arrested for threatening boy with knife, 2 charged with causing hurt Singapore Over 1.15 million Singaporeans aged 21 to 59 have claimed SG60 vouchers Opinion Cinemas struggle in a world that cannot sit still Asia Japan PM Ishiba refutes reports of imminent resignation after surprise US trade deal In Odesa, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said two floors of a multi-storey apartment building had been set ablaze. Other fires broke out on the roof of a two-storey residence, in kiosks and at a petrol station. The city's historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was also hit, he said. Kiper said details on casualties were being compiled. Reuters could not independently confirm accounts from either side. Negotiators from the two sides had earlier discussed further prisoner swaps at a brief session of peace talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. Ukraine's military has frequently launched drone attacks on Russian targets often far from the war's front line, particularly on sites linked with energy. Russian forces have in recent weeks intensified drone attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities. REUTERS
AsiaOne
20 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Chinese engines, shipped as 'cooling units', power Russian drones used in Ukraine, World News
Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labelled as "industrial refrigeration units" to avoid detection in the wake of Western sanctions, according to three European security officials and documents reviewed by Reuters. The shipments have allowed Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol to increase its production of the Garpiya-A1 attack drone, despite the US and EU sanctions imposed in October designed to disrupt its supply chain, according to the sources and documents, which included contracts, invoices and customs paperwork. An internal Kupol document, reviewed by Reuters, showed it signed a contract with the Russian defence ministry to produce more than 6,000 Garpiya this year, up from 2,000 in 2024. The document stated that more than 1,500 drones had already been delivered by April. The long-range drone is being deployed to attack civilian and military targets deep within Ukrainian territory, with around 500 being used by Russia per month, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said in a statement to Reuters. The European security officials asked that neither they nor their organisation be identified due to the sensitivity of the information. They also requested some specific details in the documents be withheld, such as their dates and the cost of contracts. In September, Reuters reported that Kupol was producing the Garpiya using Chinese technology, including L550E engines made by Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. A month after the Reuters' report, the European Union and the US sanctioned several companies involved in producing the drones, including Xiamen. In the wake of the sanctions, a new Chinese firm called Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade has started supplying the L550E engines to Kupol, according to invoices, a Kupol internal letter and transportation documents reviewed by Reuters. The increase in production of Garpiya as well as the new intermediaries supplying parts for the drones are reported by Reuters for the first time. The news agency could not determine how Xichao obtained the engines from the maker Xiamen Limbach. Xiamen Limbach did not respond to a request for comment and Reuters was unable to reach Xichao. IEMZ Kupol, Russia's trade and industry ministry and the defence ministry also did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement to Reuters, China's foreign ministry said it was unaware of the export of parts for the Garpiya and it has controlled foreign sales of dual-use goods in line with China's own laws and international obligations. "China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that lack basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council," the statement said. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both the US and E.U. have repeatedly imposed sanctions on companies in third-party countries, including China, alleged to have provided dual-use technology to Russia. Kupol has been sanctioned since December 2022 by the EU and December 2023 by the US for its involvement in Russia's defence sector. [[nid:720338]] Diplomatic warnings European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to travel to China for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, amid tensions over Beijing's support for Russia's war effort. The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 2 that Chinese firms' support for Russia in the war posed a threat to European security and she urged China to cease trade that sustains Russia's military machine, the EU said in a statement. Meia Nouwens, senior fellow for Chinese security and defence policy at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said China's prime concern was to help sustain Russia's war effort to ensure the United States remained focused on Ukraine. "This does not help China and Europe come closer together, diplomatically," she said. China says it imposes strict controls on the export of drones and their parts and has never provided either side of the war in Ukraine with lethal weapons. A person familiar with Beijing's thinking on the issue said that China produces around 75 per cent of world's drones, with the majority not for military purposes; if Russia was using them as weapons, then the same was also true of Ukraine, the person added. Ahead of Thursday's summit, one European official said the EU was not asking China to cut economic ties with Russia but to strengthen customs and financial controls to reduce the flow of specific dual-use goods. The Garpiya, which means harpy in Russian, is based on the Iranian-made Shahed drones but relies on Chinese technology, the three European sources said. [[nid:720276]] The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said the Chinese-made components in the drone included the engine, control systems, and navigation equipment. The engines were shipped by Xichao to a Russian front company identified as SMP-138, which then forwarded them to a second Russian firm LIBSS, according to another internal Kupol document, seen by Reuters. Abram Goldman, registered as the owner of SMP-138, did not respond to an emailed request for comment. LIBSS also did not respond to Reuters' questions. A contract for LIBSS to supply Kupol with the engines, reviewed by Reuters, stated they would be described as cooling units in shipping documents because of their sensitivity. The delivery route was from Beijing to Moscow then to Izhevsk, where Kupol has manufacturing facilities. Describing them as cooling units allowed the goods to be exported to Russia without alerting Chinese authorities, the three security officials said. Transportation documents reviewed by Reuters showed that Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines, China's largest carrier, had transported components for the drones to sanctioned Russian companies since October. China Southern did not respond to Reuters' questions and Sichuan could not be reached for comment. [[nid:720459]]
