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Polish PM diagnosed with pneumonia, will limit public duties: officials

25.04.2024 13:00
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been diagnosed with pneumonia and will limit his public duties in the next few days, his office announced on Thursday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.PAP/Radek Pietruszka

"In the coming days, Prime Minister Donald Tusk will limit his public activities," the Polish Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"This is related to his diagnosis of pneumonia, causing him to require treatment," it added in a post on the X social media platform.

"After completing the treatment, Donald Tusk will return to his duties," the statement also said.

Gov't reshuffle slated for May 10: PM

Tusk wrote on X: "After a short break due to illness, I hope to return to work with renewed vigor."

He added: "On May 7, the European Economic Congress will convene, where we'll unveil our plan for Europe together with [European Commission chief] Ursula von der Leyen. A government reshuffle is slated for May 10, and today we'll announce an aid plan for farmers."

The planned government reshuffle follows an announcement that three ministers from the senior partner in Poland's coalition government would run in the European Parliament elections, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Tusk said on Wednesday that his Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, State Assets Minister Borys Budka and Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz would stand in the European elections.

Sienkiewicz, who has spearheaded far-reaching changes to state media under Tusk, announced his resignation as culture minister on Wednesday.

President, PM to talk 'nuclear sharing' on May 1?

President Andrzej Duda said earlier on Thursday that he had invited Tusk for talks on May 1 about the possibility of Poland hosting nuclear weapons from other NATO member states, news agencies reported.

Duda said in an interview published on Monday that Poland would be ready to host nuclear weapons belonging to other NATO members in response to Russia's deployment of nuclear arms in neighbouring Belarus.

Tusk told reporters on Monday that, while national security and defence are paramount for his government, he needs to discuss this suggestion with Duda "as soon as possible" to ensure that "any potential initiatives are very well prepared by the people responsible for them" and that "all of us are absolutely positive that we want it."

Nuclear sharing is a NATO programme that is part of the alliance's nuclear deterrence policy. It makes nuclear warheads available to member states that do not have such armaments on their own.

Since November 2009, under nuclear sharing, US nuclear weapons have been stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Warsaw on Tuesday that "there are no plans to expand the NATO sharing arrangements, no plans to deploy any more nuclear weapons in any additional NATO countries."

The renewed discussion of nuclear sharing comes amid Moscow's atomic saber-rattling following its invasion of Ukraine, news outlets reported.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

Thursday is day 792 of Russias war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters