Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met with President of the United States Joe Biden. His visit to Poland took place immediately after the NATO and G7 summits and the European Council meeting in Brussels. This is yet another recent visit of American authorities to our country. The Head of the Polish government and the US president discussed the possibility of continuing the coordination of the international community's response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine. The talks focused on strengthening the comprehensive assistance to Ukraine, including humanitarian aid.

The two-day European Union summit in Brussels attended by the Head of the Polish Government Mateusz Morawiecki ended. In addition to European leaders, it was also attended by US President Joe Biden. The European Council meeting was devoted to Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine. Leaders of the countries focused primarily on discussing issues related to the economic consequences of the war and security in its broadest sense – including energy and defence. Assistance to refugees was also an important point of discussion. During the summit, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed the need to continue imposing tough sanctions against Moscow. The Head of the Polish Government also drew attention to the need to reduce the trade in oil, gas and coal with Russia.

Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought suffering and death to a great number of civilians, provoking an unprecedented refugee crisis. Over 3,5 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country so far. Indiscriminate and illegal Russian attacks on civilian targets, including schools, hospitals and nurseries have become something ordinary. At the same time Ukraine’s infrastructure has been systematically destroyed on a massive scale.

The situation in Ukraine was the main topic discussed during today’s meeting between Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida in Brussels. This is the second meeting between the two Prime Ministers to have taken place recently. The Prime Ministers discussed the further political and economic steps which should be taken in response to the Russian aggression. The Head of the Government called for firm and consistent sanctions aimed at convincing the Russian aggressor to end the war. The meeting was yet another element of diplomatic actions taken by the Prime Minister to build global solidarity with Ukraine and a firm attitude of the entire world towards the Russian aggression.

We are continuing to introduce beneficial changes and bring into effect more solutions under the so-called “Anti-Putin Shield”. Our main goal is to protect Polish families from the negative economic effects related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine and to inflation with which the entire world is currently struggling. This will be achieved through tax changes. These include a reduction in the personal income tax (PIT) rate from 17 percent to 12 percent for those who are taxed under the progressive tax regime and exclusion of healthcare contributions from taxable amount for those who pay a flat-rate tax, a lump-sum tax or are taxed under the tax card regime. The new tax solutions are a continuation of previously introduced beneficial changes – an increased tax-exempt amount of PLN 30 thousand and the second tax bracket raised to PLN 120 thousand.

Today, the head of the Polish government discussed with Prime Minister Mark Rutte all possible mechanisms to support people who have fled Ukraine due to the war. The conversation also concerned further sanctions. The barbaric behaviour of the Russian military continues unabated and must therefore be met with a strong European response. At this particular time, it is especially important that we show our unity around support for Ukraine, including sanctions.

The humanitarian situation, assistance to refugees from Ukraine, and sanctions imposed on Russia were the main topics of the meeting between the head of the Polish government and the Swiss president. The visit of President Ignazio Cassis to Warsaw is aimed at highlighting Switzerland's solidarity in the face of the Russian attack on Ukraine. This is yet another meeting of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in a series of numerous visits and talks on Russia's actions and support for the Ukrainian people.

In the dynamically changing international situation - especially now after the Russian invasion of Ukraine - the security of the country, of Polish women and men, is becoming the number one priority for the government. The process of modernisation of the Polish army and expansion of its potential continues. Today, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited the TELESYSTEM-MESKO Development and Implementation Centre in Lubiczów. The company specialises in research and development as well as production for the defence industry. “Security is the basis for the functioning of any society,” said the Prime Minister.

Rising prices of raw materials, particularly gas, are translating into higher fertiliser and food prices in shops. This is why we are introducing more solutions to ensure that more money stays in the wallets of Poles. Support from the state budget will include farmers who are at risk of losing their financial liquidity. The aid will apply to fertilisers that agricultural producers bought between 1 September 2021 and 15 May 2022. The funding will cover up to 50 ha of land and will amount to up to PLN 500 per ha. This provides real support for farmers, but also for all Poles who will pay less for food products. In addition, we are extending protection against uncontrolled gas price increases until 2027. This solution will benefit 7 million households, housing communities and cooperatives, as well as entities such as hospitals, schools or cultural institutions.

War is not only a violation of international law. It is, above all, human tragedy. Due to the fact that the Russian invasion affects geopolitics and security in our region, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki continues to take diplomatic actions on many levels. All these actions have one thing in common - the desire to provide the widest and most effective support to Ukraine. The Russian aggression, actions of the international community and a summary of the meeting in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelensky were the main issues discussed by the Polish Prime Minister and his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili in Batumi. During the visit, a monument to the late President Lech Kaczyński, who supported Georgia during the Russian invasion in 2008, was unveiled.