-- AFTER MONTHS, AMERICAN AID FOR UKRAINE IS UNBLOCKED. BLEAK SCENARIOS OF A NEW AND EFFECTIVE RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE ARE BECOMING LESS REAL - JERZY HASZCZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The situation on the front will not change as if by a magic wand; Russians have had a lot of time to strengthen their positions. But with multi-billion dollar aid from America and support from European allies announced in recent days, Ukraine is entering the next stage of the war with entirely new military capabilities. With conviction for further fighting and—perhaps most importantly—with renewed hope in the West.” https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art40212471-jerzy-haszczynski-ameryka-przywraca-nadzieje-ukraincom-i-flance-wschodniej -- TURNOUT WAS 44.06 PERCENT. -- GIBAŁA DID NOT SURPASS EXIT POLL RESULTS. MISZALSKI OFFICIALLY WINS THE ELECTION FOR MAYOR OF KRAKÓW: 51.04% TO 48.96%. -- KATARZYNA KUCZYŃSKA-BUDKA HAS BEEN ELECTED MAYOR OF GLIWICE - SHE RECEIVED 50.56% OF THE VOTES. -- KONFEDERACJA DECLARES SUCCESS: PATRYK MARJAN WILL BECOME MAYOR OF BEŁCHATÓW. -- DONALD TUSK ON TWITTER: I just turned 67. Too old to be happy about it, but far too young to give up. We're playing on! -- MONDAY'S POLITICAL AGENDA: DUDA IN CANADA, KAMIŃSKI BEFORE THE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/04/22 -- DUDA: MASTALEREK ARRANGED MY MEETING WITH TRUMP - HE SAYS IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SE: “Minister Mastalerek is absolutely one of the most talented politicians of the younger generation. He hasn't even turned forty yet, and he already has immense experience and achievements. He has exceptional intuition, talent, and what can be called political instinct. It was he who was responsible for organizing my meeting with President Trump. During his last visit to the USA, he specifically stayed in Washington to meet with President Trump's closest associates and finalize all the details. He remains in constant contact with them. I have no doubt that Marcin is one of those politicians who will play a significant role on the Polish political scene.” -- PRESIDENT TRUMP ALSO ASKED ME FOR MY ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN UKRAINE - DUDA TELLS SE: “Many factors influenced the US House of Representatives' decision. The most important thing is that we have the outcome everyone was waiting for: Ukraine's defenders will receive support and will have modern weapons to fight and defend their homeland from the aggressor. And also protect Europe from Russia's imperial ambitions. I try to warn against this and explain it during every international meeting. President Trump also asked me for my assessment of the current situation in Ukraine. For over two years, I have been continuously holding talks with leaders and politicians from around the world regarding aid to Ukraine. Including American ones, which is important from both sides of the political spectrum. Almost exactly a month ago, I met with US President Joe Biden at the White House, and also in Congress with leaders of the Democrats and Republicans, in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. I had a long conversation with Speaker Mike Johnson at that time. Those were very good meetings.” -- I HAVE VERY GOOD MEMORIES OF THE PERIOD OF COOPERATION WITH DONALD TRUMP. AND I DO NOT HESITATE TO SAY IT: POLAND GAINED A LOT FROM THIS PRESIDENCY - PAD TELLS SE: “I have very good memories of the period of cooperation with Donald Trump. And I do not hesitate to say it: Poland gained a lot from this presidency. It was then that the decision was made that we could buy F-35 fighter jets, and the presence of American troops in Poland was increased. It was also during his term that we started cooperation with Westinghouse on the construction of a nuclear power plant in our country. And finally, it was then that we signed large gas contracts, while the United States blocked the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. All of this was of considerable importance for Polish-American relations, but above all for strengthening and building the security architecture in Poland. So we had almost 2.5 hours to talk about with President Trump. It was a very good meeting. And we met right now because we were both in New York at the same time.” https://polityka.se.pl/wiadomosci/prezydent-przekonal-trumpa-do-pomocy-ukrainie-andrzej-duda-zdradza-kulisy-glosnego-spotkania-aa-3nzW-1BzB-aHjo.html -- IT IS WORTH TALKING TO TRUMP. BUT SHOULD ONE BE FRIENDLY WITH HIM? - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “I would accept whatever he might want to give Poland as president, but I wouldn't seal it with overly grand declarations of friendship. This remark also applies to the President, who is, of course, not going as far as Tarczyński or Czarnecki. But I would urge him to be more restrained, because it is easy to lose virtue in such games in the name of nebulous satisfaction.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-do-prezydenta-dudy-rozmawiac-z-trumpem-warto-ale-czy-nalezy-,nId,7461430 -- THE IMPASSE HAS FINALLY BEEN BROKEN. LET'S HOPE NOT TOO LATE - TOMASZ ZALEWSKI ON THE POLITYKA WEEKLY PORTAL: “One must now hope that the military aid for Ukraine passed on Saturday does not come too late. Experts, including CIA Director William Burns, warn that if Kyiv does not receive the desperately needed ammunition and air defense missiles in time, it will lose the war against Russia this year.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/swiat/2253703,1,ukraina-dostanie-miliardy-z-usa-impas-nareszcie-zostal-przelamany-oby-nie-za-pozno.read -- TRZASKOWSKI EMERGES SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER FROM THESE LOCAL ELECTIONS - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ ON ONET: “- We have a gigantic strengthening of Rafał Trzaskowski in relation to Donald Tusk – he emphasizes. – Please note that Trzaskowski was in favor of a joint start with Lewica in the local elections, as this would have made his situation in Warsaw easier and guaranteed a first-round victory. In a situation where Tusk rejected this scenario, Lewica had to field Magdalena Biejat in Warsaw. Despite this, Trzaskowski won in the first round, having a candidate who naturally takes away his electorate. Therefore, this is a gigantic strengthening of Trzaskowski. There are, of course, ideas, rumors, speculations that Tusk wants to run. He probably does, but he has probably not made a decision yet. However, Trzaskowski emerges very strengthened after these elections – concludes the deputy editor-in-chief of Onet.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/przed-donaldem-tuskiem-kluczowa-bitwa-andrzej-stankiewicz-wskazuje-powody/mpgtesy,79cfc278 -- WITH THE WAY PIS CONDUCTS POLITICS, WHERE THE PARTY EITHER HAS AN ABSOLUTE MAJORITY OR IS IN OPPOSITION, IT IS A RECIPE FOR FURTHER PYRRHIC VICTORIES - ARTUR BARTKIEWICZ IN RZ: “On the other hand, PiS is unable to break through the ceiling of mistrust from urban voters, who would want guarantees of the country's pro-Western course and certainty that they will not be the ones paying for the good feelings of voters from smaller towns. PiS has also done a lot to ultimately lose this electorate – from wars waged with doctors or teachers to the painful "Polish Deal" for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. As a result, PiS has solidified its thirty-odd percent support, but at the same time has set a ceiling for it. And with the way PiS conducts politics, where the party either has an absolute majority or is in opposition, it is a recipe for further Pyrrhic victories.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40213261-artur-bartkiewicz-po-ii-turze-wyborow-samorzadowych-dwoch-wygranych-dwie-polski -- PIS FAILS TO REACH LARGER CITY DWELLERS, SPEAKING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO THEM - JAKUB MAJMUREK ON NEWSWEEK PORTAL: “The results from Rzeszów confirm what we have known for a long time: in larger cities, PiS is electorally irrelevant. The urban air frees them from the party's influence. This applies even to the capital of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, a medium-sized city with less than 200,000 inhabitants, traditionally the largest bastion of PiS. According to exit polls, PiS candidates also lost in Kielce and Radom. PiS fails to reach larger city dwellers, speaking a foreign language to them, and lacks local leaders whom they could trust. It is capable of securing power at most in cities the size of Stalowa Wola.” https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/krakowska-sukcesja-na-noze-to-przesadzi-o-wyniku/6rs22jk -- PLATFORMA WINS, BUT HAS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE THE EUROPEAN ELECTIONS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Candidates supported by Donald Tusk's Civic Platform have won in many large cities. However, the low turnout should give all parties something to think about before the European elections, which will take place in six weeks. (...) But both PO's coalition partners and Donald Tusk's party itself, as well as PiS and Konfederacja, will have to take into account one more important factor: declining mobilization. A turnout of just over 30 percent in the second round means that only very determined voters went to the polls. Those who were wavering, moderate, stayed at home, saw no reason to go to the polling station. A few percentage points of turnout can be attributed to the terrible cold and downpours that swept across Poland. But despite this, all parties must consider how to mobilize their voters on June 9th.” https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art40215421-michal-szuldrzynski-ii-tura-wyborow-samorzadowych-platforma-wygrywa-ale-przed-wyborami-do-pe-ma-o-czym-myslec -- LEFT-WING EXCESS STRENGTHENS THE RIGHT - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: “And this is the reason for my opposition to the cultural revolution: by way of reaction, it strengthens the extreme right. This is happening both in the United States and in Poland. Of course, the reasons for the increase in support for the anti-system right are complex. Many voters see that "systemic" parties are unable to cope with real problems: declining economic growth, global challenges, and above all, the wave of immigration. The right, of course, has no ideas for them either. However, it can point out that the troubles stem from the ideological limitations imposed on politicians by the protagonists of the cultural revolution.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,30905283,lewica-przyspiesza-wyborcy-pozostaja-z-tylu.html -- POLITICAL INEPTITUDE SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY COUNT AGAINST CLIMATE ACTIVISTS - TOMASZ SAWCZUK IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “However, political ineptitude should not necessarily count against climate activists. Their primary goal is to draw attention to the problem, and their actions are mainly symbolic, a form of performance. They are not the ones standing before the tribunal of history, and political accountability does not concern them. In other words, the need for a green transformation does not depend on whether activists submit wise or foolish demands.” -- IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY, GREEN POLITICS MUST BE POPULAR TO BE POSSIBLE - SAWCZUK FURTHER IN KL: “However, it is true that in a democratic society, green politics must be popular to be possible. Meanwhile, in such symbolic actions, there is an element of despair, which arises from the impression that the reaction of society and politicians so far is insufficient. There is also a certain pessimism in them, an aura of approaching catastrophe – and the related assumption that since the end is coming, one should not look away from it. Consequently, ordinary political calculation is not applied to action – if everything is lost, then there is no point in considering the consequences. Overcoming this pessimism would probably be in the interest of both activists and better politics.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/04/22/sawczuk-czy-lasota-moze-pouczac-mazurka/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Donald Tusk, Gabriel Janowski, Stanisław Kopeć, Mariusz Marasek, Krzysztof Grabczuk, Wojciech Lubawski, Jerzy Wenderlich, Elżbieta Gelert.