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Polish PM reiterates call for EU ban on Russian coal

02.03.2022 21:45
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday reiterated his call for the European Union to ban imports of coal from Russia amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Audio
Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Council head Charles Michel meet at Jasionka near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and European Council head Charles Michel meet at Jasionka near the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.Photo: Krystian Maj/KPRM

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with European Council head Charles Michel at Jasionka in southeastern PolandMorawiecki said his country was ready to stop importing Russian coal immediately and buy more coal from Australia instead.

"I talked about it today with the prime minister of Australia ... to bring coal to Poland from there," Morawiecki said, as quoted by Polish state news agency PAP. 

He added that Poland was ready to impose an embargo on Russian coal "at any time," the PAP news agency reported.

"We only need assurance from the European Commission that it will not penalise us for this," Morawiecki told reporters.

In the first half of last year, Poland imported 6.2 million tonnes of coal, including 4 million tonnes from Russia and 1.15 million tonnes from Australia, the PAP news agency reported.

'Blockade of oil, gas and coal from Russia'

Morawiecki's office cited him as saying that Poland was strongly advocating for "the most far-reaching sanctions" on Moscow over its assault on Ukraine, including a "blockade of oil, gas and coal from Russia."

Poland accepting everyone 'who is fleeing Russian aggression': gov't

The office also said in a tweet at midday on Wednesday that a total of 474,510 refugees "have crossed the Polish border since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine."

Officials told reporters that Poland was providing shelter to "everybody who is fleeing Russian aggression against Ukraine regardless of their nationality and ethnicity."

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Tuesday, Morawiecki said that Europe should stop buying gas and oil from Russia as soon as possible.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said on Tuesday that more Western sanctions were in store for Russia as it pushed ahead with its invasion of Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: PAP

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Elżbieta Krajewska.