Today we met another American at Cafe Lokum. He has been living in Pozna for 9 years, coming from Baltimore, Maryland. When I asked why he was here, he said it was because of his Polish fiance.
It was another nice day, so we stayed outdoors most of the day and then returned home. We watched an interesting "flash mob" event taking place somewhere in America. A group of singers and musicians performed Queen's, Bohemian Rhapsody spread out in different building windows in the center of a mall. It was very good.
Concerning Ukraine;
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the launch of NATO Operation “Eastern Sentry” at a press conference in Belgium on Friday, in response to the incursion of at least 19 Russian drones into Polish airspace in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
According to a NATO press release, the operation will be executed by NATO’s Allied Command Operations. General Alexus G. Grynkewich, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, described the violation of Poland’s airspace as “not an isolated incident” and said that it impacts all of NATO.
“While a full assessment of the incident is ongoing, NATO is not waiting, we are acting,” Grynkewich said.
Rutte added that Eastern Sentry will commence “in the coming days,” with the involvement of several NATO countries – including Denmark, France, Britain, and Germany.
Several of Poland’s allies have already committed military support to the defense of Polish airspace since Russia’s drone incursion on Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that three Rafale fighter jets will be deployed to Poland, while Czechia will deploy troops and a specially modified drone interceptor helicopter to defend its neighbour.
Asked to be specific about what new military resources would be committed to the operation, Grynkewich cited the French Rafales as well as Danish F-16 fighter jets. He also said that a frigate and “some ground-based air defence capabilities” had been offered, though he did not specify by which countries.
“In the end, it’s up to Russia how far they will take this,” Grynkewich said.
“We will defend ourselves. We are a defensive Alliance, not an offensive Alliance. We will defend this beautiful 32 Alliance, established in 1949 and will make sure that our one billion people stay safe and stay free,” the NATO leader said.