Polish President summons National Security Bureau for emergency meeting

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Polish President Andrzej Duda summoned the National Security Bureau, the presidential body for executing security and defense tasks, for an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments in Russia, said the local media on Saturday.

The meeting was participated, apart from the president, by the prime minister, defense minister, and heads of ministries and special services, the state-run PAP news agency reported and confirmed by the president's office.

The current security situation in Poland and coordination of activities with allies were discussed, the agency added.

Earlier, Jacek Siewiera, the head of the bureau, on Twitter rejected some media reports which claimed that Polish Armed Forces were put on alert due to the armed rebellion launched by Wagner paramilitary group against the Russian state.

“The Polish Armed Forces are in constant readiness from February 2022 and the level has not been changed in response to recent events,” he said, adding that Poland monitors the developments closely and in consultation with its allies.

Siewiera also said: “We treat it (the rebellion) as an internal matter of Russia.”

On Friday, Wagner accused Russian forces of attacking its fighters and subsequently crossed from Ukraine into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

In response, the Federal Security Service initiated a criminal case against them for "armed mutiny." Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled Wagner's uprising as an act of "treason."

The group's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters would proceed to Moscow, prompting the Kremlin to enhance security measures across various regions of the country.

Prigozhin later claimed his fighters decided to turn back to avoid bloodshed when they were about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Russian capital Moscow, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed he held talks with the Wagner head with Putin's accord, and that Prigozhin accepted a de-escalation deal.