WARSAW: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday denounced what he said was Russian “state terrorism” after the sabotage of a railway line used to deliver aid to neighboring Ukraine.
In a brief address to parliament, Tusk called on Poles to unite against Moscow’s attempts to “sow discord with Europe, with Ukraine, and, above all, among ourselves.”
“Diversionary acts inspired and organized for months by Kremlin services have recently crossed a critical line, and we can now even speak of state terrorism,” he added.
Tusk claimed their goal was to “destroy human life and destabilize the foundations of the Polish state.”
The two acts, which Warsaw describes as “sabotage,” occurred between Saturday and Monday, and damaged a railway line helping to supply close ally Ukraine.
Warsaw has identified two Ukrainians suspected of acting on behalf of Moscow as the alleged perpetrators and has asked Belarus, an ally of Russia where the two men are believed to have fled, to extradite them.
Poland also announced that it would close the last remaining Russian consulate in Poland still in operation.
Moscow on Tuesday denounced Polish claims about its involvement, accusing Warsaw of “Russophobia.”
In his address, Tusk urged lawmakers not to repeat pro-Russian narratives, reminding them of a large-scale disinformation campaign that has tried to shift the blame onto Ukraine.
“Support Ukraine in its war against Russia without any ‘buts’,” he told parliament.
Tusk called upon nationalist and far-right opposition MPs, as well as Poland’s conservative-nationalist president and his office, not to call European unity into question.
“Support a strong West, not Russia,” the prime minister insisted.
Warsaw has long denounced a “hybrid war” waged by Russia against the West.
“During war, there are no ‘buts’; either you’re for Poland or against it, especially when it comes to national security in the face of the Russian threat,” Tusk added.
Polish PM calls rail sabotage Russian ‘state terrorism’
https://arab.news/c77x2
Polish PM calls rail sabotage Russian ‘state terrorism’
- Poland also announced that it would close the last remaining Russian consulate in Poland still in operation
Trump downplays importance of Russia reportedly sharing intel with Iran to help it hit US targets
- Critics charge that Trump was giving Russia a break that will provide Moscow with badly needed revenue as it looks to keep funding its war machine
- Ukraine, in the four years since it was invaded by Russia, has received US intelligence to help defend against incoming missiles from Russia as well as to help Kyiv hit certain Russian targets
DORAL, Florida: President Donald Trump said Saturday that it was inconsequential if Russia has provided Iran with information to help Tehran target US military personnel and assets in the Middle East as the week-old war rages.
The president dismissed the import of such information-sharing after he attended the dignified transfer for six Army reservists who were killed in a drone strike in Kuwait the day after the US and Israel launched a war on Iran that has unsettled the global economy.
Trump stopped short of confirming reports by The Associated Press and other news outlets that US intelligence officials believe Russia has provided Iran with such targeting information. But if Moscow is passing on such details, he said Iran was getting little out of it.
“If you take a look at what’s happened to Iran in the last week, if they’re getting information, it’s not helping them much,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Miami, where he’s spending the rest of the weekend.
The president also waved off a question about how Russia assisting Iran in such a way might affect his view of the US-Russia relationship.
“They’d say we do it against them,” Trump responded. “Wouldn’t they say that we do it against them?”
Ukraine, in the four years since it was invaded by Russia, has received US intelligence to help defend against incoming missiles from Russia as well as to help Kyiv hit certain Russian targets.
Downplaying the significance of Russia handing off battlespace intelligence to Iran came after the US Treasury Department announced earlier this week that it was temporarily allowing India to keep buying crude oil and petroleum products from Russia for a month, until April 4.
The administration decision to grant the world’s most populous country a temporary exemption faced bipartisan blowback. Critics charge that Trump was giving Russia a break that will provide Moscow with badly needed revenue as it looks to keep funding its war machine.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, condemned the move, saying in a post on X that “weakness toward Russia is appalling.”
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., in his own X post directed at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, also decried the administration’s decision.
“Reverse your decision to lift oil sanctions on Russia. It is traitorous conduct for you to help Russia,” Lieu said. “Meanwhile, Russia is assisting Iran in targeting American troops.”
Trump has decided to give India leeway on oil purchases from Russia as global oil prices surge and investors across sectors worry about how long the Iran war will last.
The waiver for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government followed Trump announcing weeks ago that he was cutting tariffs on India after their officials agreed to reduce its reliance on cheap Russian crude.
India has taken advantage of reduced Russian oil prices as much of the world has sought to isolate Moscow for its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The price of oil has surged higher and shows no signs of halting a week into a war that the US and Israel launched and has widened through the Middle East as Tehran strikes back. Ships that carry roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day are unable to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf that is bordered on its north side by Iran.
The shipping disruption and damage to key Middle East oil and gas facilities has interrupted supplies from some of the world’s largest oil producers.
Asked whether he was willing to take other steps to ease oil prices, Trump said that “if there were some, I would do it, just to take a little of the pressure off.”
He appeared Saturday to wave off, at least for now, the possibility of tapping the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, saying the US has a “lot of oil.”
The reserve — a supply of oil that the US government can tap in case of emergencies — held more than 415 million barrels as of the end of last month, up from about 395 million barrels at this time in 2025. In total, when full, the SPR can hold more than 700 million barrels.
“We’ve got a lot of oil. Our country has a tremendous amount,” Trump said. “There’s a lot of oil out there. That’ll get healed very quickly.”
