The news in Polish
W piątek w Berlinie odbyło się ważne spotkanie liderów USA, Francji, Niemiec i UK, gdzie omówiono wojnę na Ukrainie i sytuację na Bliskim Wschodzie. Polska, mimo swojej kluczowej roli w pomocy Ukrainie, nie była zaproszona. Spotkanie zorganizował niemiecki kanclerz Olaf Scholz. Brakowało też prezydenta Ukrainy.
Translation
On Friday in Berlin, a significant meeting took place involving the leaders of the USA, France, Germany, and the UK, where they discussed the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. Poland, despite its crucial role in aiding Ukraine, was not invited. The meeting was organised by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The President of Ukraine was also absent.
Exercise: Text comprehension
Question 1: Who organized the meeting in Berlin?
The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz organized the meeting.
Question 2: Which country's leader was not invited to the meeting despite playing a key role?
Poland was not invited to the meeting despite playing a key role in helping Ukraine.
Exercise: Vocabulary
odbyć się - to take place
spotkanie(n.) - meeting
lider(m.) - leader
omówić - to discuss
kluczowy - crucial
zorganizować - to organise
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▌22/10/2024
In a recent high-level meeting held on Friday in Berlin, the leaders of the USA, France, Germany, and the UK gathered to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. Notably absent from this significant meeting was Poland, a country extensively involved in supporting Ukraine.
The meeting was initiated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, following the cancellation of a planned summit on Ukraine's defence, which was supposed to take place in Ramstein, Germany. Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs representative, Paweł Wroński, expressed surprise over Poland's exclusion, emphasizing that around 90% of aid to Ukraine passes through Polish territory, highlighting Poland's crucial role.
The absence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the talks also raised questions about the summit's effectiveness. Wroński pointed out that without key players like Ukraine and Poland, the meeting's results might be limited. He attributed the decision of who attends solely to Chancellor Scholz.
Poland Overlooked at Berlin Meeting on Ukraine (Illustration)
Furthermore, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the matter, stating that no actions were currently planned to address this situation with Germany or other participating nations. Wroński also responded to Zelensky’s recent remarks that implied that countries not supporting Ukraine militarily were excluded from seeing parts of Ukraine's plans for victory.
Adding another perspective, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski, commented on the minimal impact of the Berlin meeting, labeling it as hastily arranged with no significant decisions made. Sikorski expressed a preference for Poland's inclusion in such discussions, suggesting that when Poland participates, more effective decisions are reached.
The discussions largely focused on broader geopolitical issues, with the Middle East taking center stage rather than specific resolutions regarding Ukraine. The prior cancellation of the Ramstein meeting was due to scheduling changes by U.S. President Joe Biden, who needed to address domestic concerns.
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