News / Why should Poland consider pursuing a strategic alliance with Russia? [363]


Not to the rank of world power, but Russia would certainly became significantly more dangerous to the rest of Europe and Eastern Europe in particular.

Off-Topic / AfD Party is growing ever more powerful throughout country [187]


I'd argue that is the wrong question. Rather than "kicking" the Americans out, any German government will have to make a case to the Americans as to why staying is in the interest of the USA. All the AfD needs to do is shrug when asked what they are willing to offer the USA for a continued American presence and that's it.

Off-Topic / AfD Party is growing ever more powerful throughout country [187]


Not if the AfD has a say. They have made it clear that they don't want any hostilities with Russia.


Who would no longer be able to operate from Germany.

Off-Topic / AfD Party is growing ever more powerful throughout country [187]


Yet Poland is already struggling with the refugees that have arrived so far from Ukraine.


Now add the border with Kaliningrad Oblast and Belarus. A pretty long border to protect.


Is the current status of Belarus good for Poland's security? Would Poland's geopolitical situation improve if Belarus was neutral instead of being a Russian satellite?

Nevermind that by subjugating Ukraine, Russia gain access to the most battle-hardened soldiers on the European continent, who have far more experience in fighting a modern war than any other army.


You do realize that they view Russia as an ally, not a threat, don't you?

Off-Topic / AfD Party is growing ever more powerful throughout country [187]

The AfD is not only pro-Russian but also anti-Ukrainian. So if the AfD gets into power:

Germany stops all support for Ukraine =>Ukraine loses its' largest remaining supporter=>Ukraine collapses=>Millions of Ukrainian refugees would travel to Poland (and not allowed into Germany ofc)=>Poland has also now a long border from Kaliningrad to Lwiv with Russia and its' proxies.

How would that be in Poland's interest?

Never mind NATO that supporting Poland/Eastern Europe would become next to impossible without Germany as a logistical hub.

Off-Topic / AfD Party is growing ever more powerful throughout country [187]

The author really doesn't know anything about the AfD does he? Sadly the article is locked for me, but how does he reconcile the AfD's anti-NATO, anti-Ukraine pro-Russia and pro-NS positions with Poland's interests?

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]

I suppose Medvedev is a perfect representation of the Russian elite. Brutish, bullish, without class and unable to have a clear view on reality.

Trump went into the negotiations with the clear advantage of Europe's security dependence on the USA. Which due to the threat of Russia he was able to effectively leverage. We can't have a prolonged trade war with a country on whom we still depend on our security while said security is actively threatened by a revisionist, imperialist Russia.

Putin's war has not only brought great suffering on Ukraine and ensured the long-term decline of Russia, it has also severely weakened Europe's position in the world.

Without Russia's invasion of Ukraine (and to some degree without Medvedev's drunken ramblings and threats) things might have gone differently, but it is what it is.

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]


True, but the question is: Does Putin reach the same conclusion, or does he believe that he could succeed?

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]


What about the land Russia is claiming, but does not yet controle? Remember, Putin has made the full surrender of all 4 oblasts a precondition to even start negotiations.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]

Fascinating how those nationalists are supporting Merkel's arguments from 2015. Back then she argued that returning undocumented refugees to the country of entry into the EU would destablize those countries in Southern Europe, who were still affected by the debt crisis. And by then we were about a few thousand new arrivals per day, not month.

If Warsaw is unhappy about those controles, all it needs to so is properly register any new arrivals and process their asylum applications.

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]


I am just pointing out what Trump has actually done on Ukraine/Russia. I am sorry if that doesn't align with your wishful thinking.

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]


If Putin is losing, it is despite the big break he caught when Trump was elected, not because of it.

Trump has done nothing but undermine Ukraine's position since he got reelected. Conceding positions like Ukraine's NATO membership before negotiations even started. Halting weapon shipments and intel sharing. Trying to blackmail Ukraine into a exploitative minerals deal.

Trump started a trade war with Ukraine's supporters, yet refused to implement sanctions against Russia.

Even now, while Ukraine is being hit daily by Russian drones and missiles, he still drags his feet on supplying Ukraine with air defence systems even when other countries are offering to pay for them.

Yeah I am sure, this man would have bombed Moscow on Ukraine's behalf... .

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]


Correlation does not equal causation. Might as well argue that Putin feared Merkel and only invaded Ukraine once she was gone. Which would be just as absurd.

Trump has so far shown now willingness to even remotely confront Putin on any issue, let alone Ukraine. The idea that the same man who sided openly with Putin over his own intelligence agencies would have credibly threatened Russia is simply ridiculous.

Whatever his faults, Ukraine and Europe were incredibly fortunate that Biden was elected. Trump would have abandoned Ukraine immediately after the Russian invasion, that much should be clear by now.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


I'd say it was spot on.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Because they seem to believe that Germany will just take them off their hands? Merz has now made it clear that this is no longer the case. Again, something I thought Poland wanted all along?


It does. European law couldn't be clearer on that matter. The EU country on which a refugee first sets foot in, is responsible for registering him and processing his asylum application. If the refugee leaves, the EU in which he was registered in has to take him back.


You mean they know European law and are aware how countries should follow it?


Those who came under Merkel? Sure. But hardly anyone who arrives ad finitum. Merz is now doing what Poland wanted Merkel to do all along. Except now those refugees are no longer exclusively arriving through Southern Europe.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


I am just stating facts here. Germany is surrounded by EU countries (and Switzerland, another safe country). If refugees are still arriving per land in large numbers, they can only do so because the neighbouring countries are allowing them to do so.


Not really. It is easy to blame Poland here because that is Poland's responsibility. Any state with a non-EU border is required to register and process all arriving refugees and take back any that have made it through according to EU law. Not only has Poland waved refugees through, it has also refused in many cases to take those refugees back that came via Poland.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Dublin predates Merkel.


Our government is doing both now as they should.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Taking their finger prints would be a good start. Once Poland actually follows its' obligations and there are still problems, we can think of other measures.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Register them and process their asylum application. Once they are in the system, they can be sent back whenever they make their way to Germany.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Two things to consider here.

1) It is far from certain that Germany is breaking EU law here. There are conditions under which border controles and e.g. suspending Dublin are perfectly legal per EU law. The German government argues that those conditions are met. The European courts will have the final say on the matter, we will know how things stand in 1-2 years.

2) We are in the current situation because Germany's neighbours - including Poland - have been systematically breaking EU law. Per EU law, Poland is responsible for any refugee that crosses the border from Belarus, not Germany. That Poland is instead of processing their asylum application is instead waving them through and even refuses to take them back afterwards is in clear violation of Dublin and has now led to the German reaction.


Is she still chancellor? The new German government has made it clear that her refugee policy is no longer applied. Something I thought most people in Poland would welcome?

I suppose now that those migrants are no longer exclusively arriving from Southern Europe, this might have changed.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Why would Germans have an issue with that? As long as Poland takes the migrants who have been caught at the Polish-German border back all the better.

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]


Poland has introduced border controles at the Polish-Lithuanian border. Is Poland undermining Lithuania's legitimacy?

News / Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania [101]

What hypocrisy on the Polish side. For years various Polish governments have claimed that Germany's decision to not controle its' borders was the reason why so many migrants were coming to Europe.

Now that Germany is controlling its' borders they are still unhappy because now the realization sets in that they can no longer wave migrants through to Germany, but may actually be stuck with those arrivals.

I suppose the silver lining here is the decision to controle the borders to Lithuania will also mean that fewer migrants will come through this route.

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]

Or maybe they may have just bribed some Germans to do that?

News / Poland's aid to Ukraine if Russia invades - part 23 [1012]

It is really incredible that some people still bring up that long-debunked "BJ talked Ukraine out of a deal in Istanbul".

As if the Ukrainians needed someone else to point out that e.g. reducing the Ukrainian army to 90k soldiers was completely unacceptable... .

News / The Iran war and Poland [826]

You need help.

News / The Iran war and Poland [826]


And if their prefered candidate doesn't win, they'll just falsify the elections like they did in 2009.

And that is for the presidential office, which has very little actual power.

News / Polish PM Tusk- dictator or not? What Poles think? [455]


This kind of rhetoric is really the problem.


Can't wait to see which party they would support.


* Looks at the president-elect, a self-confessed former hooligan.

News / Polish PM Tusk- dictator or not? What Poles think? [455]

The political discourse in Poland has really been poisened by PiS in the last 10 years... .

Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

Austria has very liberal gun laws by European standards. Will be interesting see how they react to this tragedy.