Hundreds of troops, tanks, aircraft in Polish army parade
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Dozens of fighter jets soared, tanks rumbled and hundreds of troops marched in a Polish military parade Saturday, a show of force on the national armed forces' holiday.
Poland's new President Andrzej Duda, who is the armed forces' supreme commander, received the parade in downtown Warsaw, along with Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz and Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.
F-16 and MiG-29 fighters, C-130 Hercules transport planes and helicopters flew overhead, while Rosomak and Stryker armored vehicles and Langusta missile launchers rumbled through downtown Warsaw in front of thousands of spectators. U.S. and Canadian troops, taking part in NATO exercises in Poland, also participated.
Duda, who took office Aug. 6, said he wants to strengthen Poland's armed forces and raise NATO presence as a deterrent in face of a resurgent Russia and an armed conflict in neighboring Ukraine.
"I would like us to have a state that is capable of defending those who are weaker and does not have to be afraid of those who are stronger," said Duda, a Catholic conservative. He was quoting the words of his political mentor, the late President Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a 2010 plane crash in Russia.
The Aug. 15 holiday marks Poland's victory over Russian Bolsheviks in 1920 near Warsaw. The victory called "The Miracle on the Vistula" is believed to have stopped the Bolshevik's march further West.
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
Germany's Steinmeier Warns Of 'Explosive' Ukraine Crisis
Germany's foreign minister says the situation in eastern Ukraine is "explosive" and that urgent talks must be held to prevent "a new military escalation spiral."
Frank-Walter Steinmeier made the comments in an interview published on August 16 in the Bild Am Sonntag.
Steinmeier said he has proposed that representatives of Kyiv and the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine meet immediately with representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for talks on reducing tensions.
A cease-fire deal signed in Minsk in February has eased the violence somewhat, but both sides claim violations on a daily basis.
About 6,400 people have been killed since the violence erupted last year.