2022-03-27 11:25 update: 2022-03-30, 11:44
Mateusz Morawiecki Photo PAP/Mateusz Marek
Poland will be one of the first EU member states to withdraw from imports of Russian oil, coal and gas, Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said.
The prime minister made the claim on Saturday evening, after hearing an address by US President Joe Biden at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
Biden said in his major speech that was widely covered by international media that Europe must end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels and pledged US support in achieving this goal.
"Poland will be one of the first, if not the first country in the European Union to completely withdraw from Russian oil and coal... but also from Russian gas," said Morawiecki.
The prime minister went on to say that some EU member states envied Poland that it had already made significant steps to diversify its gas supplies and expand the country's gas infrastructure.
"I think what we're saying now will be in the European mainstream in a few weeks' time," he said.
According to Morawiecki, Poland may achieve full gas independence from Russia later this year.
"We'll try to do it by the end of the third quarter," he said.
Poland has been making intensive efforts to diminish its reliance on Russian gas by expanding its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal, signing contracts with LNG suppliers and investing in cross-border gas infrastructure. (PAP)
