TVN24 News in English

TVN24 News in English

Prosecutors to investigate Orlen's Swiss unit OTS and its former CEO

Poland has launched an investigation into multi-million-dollar cash losses by Polish refiner Orlen's Swiss unit and allegations that its former CEO had ties to "terrorist organisations", Warsaw chief prosecutor Małgorzata Adamajtys said on Tuesday (April 30). National Public Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said that two other issues regarding Orlen would be also looked into.

Finance ministry warns against excessive public debt

Due to the scale of problems in public finances, their repairment requires time and will be carried out gradually - Poland's Finance Minister Andrzej Domański said on Monday (April 29). The ministry has just published a white paper on Polish public finances in 2016-2023, in which it warns that Poland's public debt in 2026 and 2027 is likely to exceed 60% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) The Polish constitution allows a maximum public debt no higher than three-fifths of the GDP.

PM Tusk accuses former Orlen CEO of links with Hezbollah

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday (April 29) he had called the country's chief prosecutor and secret services coordinator to discuss potential links between former CEO of oil refiner Orlen Daniel Obajtek and Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Polish farmers suspend blockade of Hrebenne border crossing

Polish farmers called off their protest at the last border crossing with Ukraine on Monday (April 29), lifting a blockade that has dragged on for months, soured bilateral relations and buffeted Ukraine's trade. However, the farmers were continuing talks with the government and still planned a protest in Warsaw on May 10.

Brzezinski: Poland and U.S. share the same freedom and are united on Ukraine

"Poland is a special friend of America for the last 200 years. Over 200 years, Americans have sacrificed for Polish freedom, Poles have sacrificed for American freedom," U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski told TVN24 on Friday (April 26). "Today, we share the same freedom and we are united on Ukraine," he added. The ambassador also commented on the latest U.S. assistance package for Ukraine. "Help is on the way. It’s moving quickly now."

President Duda: Polish soldiers ready to help Lithuania if need be

Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda visited the site of joint military exercises near the Suwałki Gap on Friday (April 26). "This is a very important exercise. It's a proof that Polish soldiers are prepared, if need be, to provide help to our Lithuanian ally and neighbor," Duda reassured.

President pardons former anti-corruption officers. Prime minister comments

"More CBA agents pardoned by Andrzej Duda. Before we know it, he'll be ready to pardon whole PiS" - Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media on Friday (April 26). This way he commented on President Andrzej Duda's decision to pardon two former agents of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA), sentenced by court in the so-called land scandal case. TVN24 was the first to inform about the pardoning of the former officers.

Government adopts new measures to aid Polish farmers

The government adopted a set of measures meant to aid Polish farmers hit by the war in Ukraine. "Farmers who have sold grain at lowered price won't be at a loss, they will receive compensation," chief of PM's office Jan Grabiec said at a press conference on Thursday (April 25). Deputy Agriculture Minister Michał Kołodziejczak explained the rules of the new plan.

Ukraine, USA, Germany, France, Russia. MFA chief Sikorski laid out key foreign policy tasks

Ensuring Poland's security and its strong position in the European Union as well as restoration of an apolitical foreign service are on the long list of tasks presented on Thursday (April 25) by the head of Polish diplomacy Radosław Sikorski. In his parliamentary address, the foreign minister stressed that Germany and France are Poland's "most important partners in the European Union". "Maintaining the European Union’s comprehensive support for Ukraine’s independence, including its efforts on the path towards EU membership, will be a priority of our government’s European policy," Sikorski reassured. 

Donald Tusk has pneumonia. Talks on nuclear sharing with president Duda on May 1 unlikely

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will limit his public duties over the coming days after he was diagnosed with a case of pneumonia, his office said on Thursday (April 25). Earlier that day, President Andrzej Duda the prime minister for talks on May 1 about NATO's nuclear sharing program. Due to Tusk's illness, the meeting is unlikely take place on that date. Russia's foreign ministry warned that any nuclear weapons deployed to Poland would become legitimate targets in the event of an armed conflict with the NATO military alliance.

U.S. State Department releases report on human rights in Poland

The U.S. Department of State has published an annual report on human rights practices across the globe. The situation in Poland in 2023 has been summarized on 45 pages. The document points out, among other things, reports of discrimination of women, danger to the independence of courts and media freedom, and excessive use of force by the police.

British PM Sunak announces new support package for Kyiv and lifts UK's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday (April 23) he would lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP to reach 87 billion pounds ($108 billion) a year by 2030, saying Britain could not be complacent when the world was at its most dangerous since the Cold War. Speaking in Warsaw alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Sunak also pledged to increase Britain's military support for Ukraine by 500 million pounds to take its total for this financial year to 3 billion pounds.

A "reliable, apolitical police". Poland to create a new anti-graft agency

The Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) will be replaced with the Central Bureau for Combating Corruption (CBZK), announced the coordinator of Poland's special services, Tomasz Siemoniak. PM Donald Tusk, an outspoken critic of the CBA, said later on Monday (April 22) he wanted a "reliable, apolitical police that would fight corruption, but primarily keep a close watch on the government, not the opposition".

Nuclear sharing in Poland? Tusk: I'd like to know president Duda's motivation

I'm eagerly waiting to meet with President Andrzej Duda. I'd like to understand all circumstances that lead him to make such a declaration, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday (April 22). President Duda had declared in an interview Poland was ready to host nuclear weapons as part of NATO's nuclear sharing program. Tusk also told a press conference that Tuesday's visit to Warsaw by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was part of Poland's plan to rebuild its security position in Europe.

The 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Church bells and sirens sounded at noon on Friday (April 19) in Warsaw to mark the 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The insurgency was the largest act of armed Jewish resistance during World War II and the first urban uprising against the Germans in occupied Europe.

Polish police detain two men suspected of attacking Navalny's aide Leonid Volkov

Two people have been detained in Poland on suspicion of attacking Leonid Volkov, an exiled top aide to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Polish and Lithuanian police said on Friday (April 19). Lithuanian authorities informed that the detained men were both Polish citizens and had been detained on April 3 in Warsaw. Polish PM Donald Tusk said on social media later on Friday that Poland had also detained a Belarusian citizen working for Russia who was suspected of ordering the attack.

President Duda at UN General Assembly: our goal should be to prevent crises, not just react to them

In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said that the world "is facing multiple global crises that have significant impact on infrastructure systems". He argued, however, that advancement of said systems could be a good way to respond to the crises at hand. "Our goal should be to prevent crises, not just react to them," the president added.

Kamiński and Wąsik charged for disobeying public office ban

Mariusz Kamiński, a former interior minister and Law and Justice (PiS) MP, and his former deputy at the ministry, Maciej Wąsik, heard criminal charges for participating in parliamentary work despite having been issued a court ban on holding public office. Both politicians refused to acknowledge the charges and dismissed them as "political repression" carried out by the current government.

Tusk: if words could change into rocket launchers, Europe would be a superpower

"If all the words that were said in the last years here in Brussels about common defence, could be changed into bullets and rocket launchers, Europe would have become the strongest power in the world. And the safest place," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X on Thursday (April 18), during the first day of a special European Council summit in Brussels.