A Polish museum has claimed to have found the oldest time capsule in the world in a church spire, containing 300-year-old coins, Latin documents and a deformed lead bullet. 

The box allegedly dates back to 1726 and was discovered during renovation work at the Church of St. Stanislaus in the small town of Wschowa, in western Poland.

The age of the capsule has yet to be confirmed, but if it actually is from 1726, it would make the find older than the current record holder from US city Boston.

The town’s museum called it a ‘unique find’ and said on social media: ‘The oldest time capsule in the world found in Wschowa.

‘The oldest capsule takes the form of a box made of copper sheet, with the date 1726 stamped on its lid. 

‘The time capsule consisting of four packages from 1726, 1786, 1884 and 1914 was extracted from the sphere at the top of the tower of the parish church.’

The current oldest known time capsule, whose age has been verified, was discovered in Boston at the Massachusetts State House in 2014, hidden behind a painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River.

Inside one of the newly discovered caskets, museum conservators found a parchment written in Latin which when translated chronicled a devastating fire that engulfed the town and reduced the church to ashes.

They also found a lead bullet that had been shot into the casket and damaged some of the documents.

Inside a smaller casket they found coins from the 18th and 19th centuries wrapped in newspapers.

The museum said: ‘Above the lock and on the bottom there is a date stamped three times from the second opening in 1884.

‘The bottom was shot through with a small caliber lead bullet found inside the box.

‘The smaller casket contained coins wrapped in newspapers in two separate packages.’

Museum experts say they will now translate all the documents and thoroughly examine the contents of the latest find.

During the 18th century, the town of Wschowa served as the second, ‘unofficial capital of Poland’.

In 1793, as a result of the second partition of Poland, the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. It returned to Polish hands after WWII.

Meanwhile, the previously oldest time capsule in Europe was also discovered in Poland in 2020 and dates back to 1797.

It was found in a church spire in the town of Ziębice, 115 miles south of the most recent discovery.

Opening it up, town officials found 200-year-old old coins and documents dated 1797 written in German. 

In the 18th century the town was called Münsterberg and was part of the Kingdom of Prussia. 

The town’s mayor Mariusz Szpilarewicz said: ‘All indications are that it may be one of the oldest time capsules found in the world.

‘The oldest capsule in the world dates back to the 18th century and was discovered in Boston, USA. Our capsule is probably two years younger than the Boston one.’

The oldest capsule in the world was discovered at the Massachusetts State House in Boston in 2014 after crews removed the time capsule from the granite cornerstone of the building.

Inside was an engraved silver plate proclaiming that the capsule was hidden in 1795 by Revolutionary War luminaries Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, along with a host of other items. 

Originally made of cowhide, the time capsule was believed to have been embedded in the cornerstone when construction on the state Capitol began in 1795. Adams was governor of Massachusetts at the time.

The time capsule was removed in the mid-19th century and its contents transferred to a copper box, Galvin said. 

Its removal was due to an ongoing water filtration project at the building. 

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv‘s allies have committed billions upon billions in military and humanitarian aid to help Ukrainian Armed Forces fight off Russian occupiers.

But as the war drags into its 19th month, President Volodymyr Zelensky is seemingly facing an uphill battle convincing both his neighbours and Western allies to continue apace. 

The Biden administration’s latest request for a fresh $24billion aid package is the subject of a bitter spending battle that could see Congress trigger a government shutdown with skeptical Republican lawmakers wary of sending yet more funds to Kyiv. 

Some Republicans say the money could be better spent on US border security, while there are also concerns about the pace of Kyiv’s counteroffensive and that corruption in Ukraine means the money will be squandered. 

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said this week his country ‘is no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine’ amid a row over Poland‘s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers.

With this in mind, MailOnline recaps the level of funding sent to Ukraine so far. 

The US is far and away Ukraine’s biggest benefactor. 

According to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker – which follows and quantifies military, financial and humanitarian aid given to Ukraine since January 24, 2022 – the US has sent €69.5billion ($74billion) to Kyiv, €42billion ($44.7billion) of which came in the form of weapons systems, armoured vehicles, tanks and ammunition.

The support tracker’s data has been published up until July 31, 2023. If Biden’s $24billion package is approved by Congress, US total aid to Ukraine will begin closing in on $100billion.  

America’s aid provision is only outstripped by the EU as a collective, with European institutions providing €84.8billion – though almost €80billion of this was financial aid rather than military. 

The Biden administration is also preparing to provide a parting gift to Ukraine following President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s White House visit, in the form of long-range ATACM missiles to strike distant Russian forces.

President Biden has told Zelensky that Washington will provide Kyiv with ATACMS long-range missiles, NBC News reported on Friday, citing three U.S. officials and a congressional official.

That comes a day after Zelensky visited Washington, pleading with lawmakers in the Capitol and during a meeting with Biden for more weapons to protect Ukraine’s skies as it seeks to fight back Russia’s invading force.

That came on a trip when House Republicans are opposing Biden’s proposed $24 billion aid package for Ukraine, and where House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declined to appear with Zelensky in public after saying before Zelensky’s trip that ‘I have questions for him.’ 

‘Where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent?’ McCarthy asked, before McCarthy met with the full Senate but did not address the full House or the GOP Conference.

Besides the US, Germany, the United Kingdom and Norway have been the next most significant aid providers for Ukraine, giving €20.9billion, €13.8billion and €7.4billion respectively. 

In relative terms, however, Ukraine’s smaller supporters and Russian neighbours like Estonia and Lithuania are contributing a greater share of their GDP to the war effort. 

Estonia’s aid to Ukraine has totalled some 1.3 percent of GDP, with Lithuania sharing 1.2 percent. Poland has given military aid commitments equalling 0.5 percent of its GDP, is one of Kyiv‘s main weapons suppliers and also hosts some one million Ukrainian refugees, who have benefited from various kinds of state aid.

The US meanwhile, despite contributing the overwhelming majority of military aid to Kyiv, has only donated 0.2 per cent of its GDP. 

Canada meanwhile has provided Ukraine with almost $9billion in military and other aid since the Russian invasion began, and is home to the world’s second largest Ukrainian diaspora after Russia.

Ottawa’s $8.9billion in aid to Kyiv has included more than $1.8billion in military aid, including Leopard 2 tanks, air defence and artillery systems, anti-tank weapons, drones and other equipment.

It has also trained more than 36,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

Zelensky was in Ottawa today to drum up more support after meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, capping off a North American tour which saw him face a skeptical US Congress. 

Yesterday Zelensky confronted the issue of potentially fracturing political support in the United States for his country’s demands for more arms to push back the Russian invasion.

‘We’re with you and we’re staying with you,’ Biden told him after their top teams met at the White House.

Wearing his trademark olive green military-style shirt, Zelensky said Ukraine ‘has exactly what our soldiers need’ after Biden announced a new package of US military aid, including sophisticated air defence weapons.

But behind the optics – firm handshakes across a grand cabinet table and shows of solidarity in the Oval Office – was the reality that Zelensky’s second wartime trip to Washington was far tougher than the first.

He received a hero’s welcome when he visited in December, but this time, he spent his closed-door meetings in the US Congress desperately trying to overcome growing war fatigue among Republicans.

Hardline Republicans are threatening to block Biden’s request for a fresh $24billion aid package for Ukraine, and it has now become caught up in a bitter spending battle that could spark a US government shutdown.

Biden said alongside Zelensky that there was ‘no alternative’ to backing the Ukraine funding, adding that he was ‘counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress.’

The US president said the first US M1 Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine ‘next week,’ boosting Kyiv’s forces as they battle Russian troops in a slow-moving counteroffensive.

The latest US package would also strengthen Ukraine’s air defence capability, crucial at a time when the country faces repeated Russian missile and drone attacks.

It came as there were reports of Ukraine striking two Russian ships in Crimea on Saturday.

A pro-Russia channel said six Neptune missiles were fired and while four were allegedly intercepted, two found their target. 

On Friday, Ukrainians used a British-made Storm Shadow missile to hit Putin‘s Black Sea Fleet HQ in Ukraine.

 Senior Russian commanders were killed in the Ukrainian missile strike, it was also revealed.

At least nine people were killed and 16 wounded in the attack in Sevastopol, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.

Russia has refrained from giving details on the killed and wounded, and its main news bulletins failed to mention the humiliating strike in annexed Crimea.

Russian air defences were again today at work in and around Sevastopol, the main naval port in the peninsula.

There were reports of incoming missiles and that one missile had been shot down.

Russian war cheerleaders are demanding reprisal attacks on Ukrainian command posts.

Rybar Telegram channel warned: ‘As long as there are no strikes on control and command centres, the intensity of the AFU attacks will increase.

‘Meanwhile, in Kyiv, the work of all Ukrainian structures responsible for regular raids, such as the GUR and the SBU [intelligence services] , is proceeding without interruption.’

War analyst Sergei Mardan, a columnist for Komsomolskaya Pravda, said: ‘The strike to the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol is a crushing blow to the entire Russian elite, which is seriously committed to freezing the conflict in the autumn of 2023.

‘They still don’t want to fight.

‘They agree to any, the most shameful conditions of a truce. 

‘They still consider [the start of war on] February 24, 2022, a catastrophic mistake by Putin and intend to do everything to convince him of this.

‘They see a ”limited” military defeat of Russia as the ideal way.’

He claimed this was the wrong route for Russia.

‘Our enemies will force us to fight, if only because they do not agree to a ‘limited’ defeat.

‘They intend to defeat the Russian army and bring the Russian government to its knees.’

Spymaster Budanov told Voice of America: ‘Among the wounded is the commander of the group, Colonel-General (Alexander) Romanchuk, in a very serious condition.’

He added: ‘The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General (Oleg) Tsekov, is unconscious.

‘The number of injured regular servicemen who are not employees of the headquarters is still being determined.

‘These are military personnel who are on duty, security, and so on — they are not included in the list that I announced.’

Some reports say Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Sokolov was also hit and killed, but there has been no confirmation.

There were suggestions he was ‘missing’.

Sokolov was handpicked by Putin a year ago to take over from Admiral Igor Osipov after the humiliating sinking of the fleet’s flagship, the cruiser Moskva, sunk by a Ukrainian Neptune missile.

Romanchuk is commander of Russian forces in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, and was promoted to the rank of colonel-general in 2023.

Tsekov is the commander of the 200th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, part of the Coastal Forces of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

Budanov declined to confirm Russian claims that Storm Shadow missiles – provided to Kyiv by Britain and France – had been used to the fleet HQ.

‘Here I have to refrain from answering, I think you should understand me,’ he said.

Tales of heroism have also been coming out of Ukraine.

Jack Knight is a British military volunteer in Ukraine and a former mine clearer with the Royal Engineers whose great-great grandfather rescued a wounded man from no man’s land in WWI.

Knight saved eight Ukrainian troops in a daring 14-hour rescue mission while taking fire.

He even stepped into a minefield in complete darkness to save four Ukrainians who wandered into it while carrying their dead companion on a stretcher.

His brave ancestor William Young won the Victoria Cross for his antics and saw a street named after him in Preston.

Knight told The Telegraph: ‘Hopefully, my great-great grandad will think I’ve done my bit. Every bit of that rescue literally felt like a suicide mission.’

At one point he even set down his weapons and grenades to reduce the weight he was carrying. When he was then faced with being just 20 metres away from a group of Russian troops as he took cover behind a wall, he realised he had a problem.

He picked up two rocks and prepared for a fight to the death.

Knight said: ‘I figured I’d throw the rocks at them – they’d have thought at first that they were grenades, which might have distracted them enough for me to charge one of them, grab his gun and spray a few rounds.

‘I probably wouldn’t have survived but if I could inflict some casualties they’d maybe pull back rather than carry on towards our lines.’

He has since been nominated for a medal for his valiant efforts in the battle alongside Canadian fellow volunteer Wayne Hallatt.

The father who lived in Poland‘s incest house of horrors where the remains of three babies were found in the basement has also been accused of cruelty to his St Bernard dog.

An animal charity which is now looking after the elderly dog called Bethowen believe he was deliberately starved and spent his entire life chained up.

The underweight dog was hardly able to walk when he was recovered last Friday after police raided the home of Piotr Gierasik, 54, in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland.

He is now recovering, along with two cats from the property, at the ‘Animalsi’ Foundation Animal Shelter in the nearby town Kocierzyna.

Police found the remains of three babies in the basement of the cottage where widowed Piotr lived with his daughter Paulina, 20, and her 24-year-old mentally disabled brother.

One baby is said to have been born from Piotr’s rape of an older daughter while the last two came from an alleged consensual relationship with cake shop worker Paulina.

He has now been charged with three counts of murder, one count of incest with Paulina, and the rape of his older daughter.

Paulina who had tried to conceal her latest pregnancy from work colleagues is also charged with incest and two counts of murder of her infants.

Staff at the Animalsi shelter which looks after 230 dogs and more than 50 homeless cats posted pictures of Bethowen showing his shocking condition on their Facebook page.

The post said: ‘The whole of Poland is reeling from the drama that took place in one of the towns in the Stara Kiszewa commune.

‘We are receiving more and more blood-curdling information from everywhere.

‘We were there to secure the animals staying there – Bethowen, a nice senior citizen Róa, and two cats are already here in the shelter.

‘But we are shocked that the big St Bernard weighs only 28kg and has spent his entire life on a chain.

‘The dog needs more thorough examination and certainly treatment (you can immediately see his sick eyes).

‘Currently he can barely stand, so we will provide him with good quality meals several times a day. Thankfully he does have a good appetite.’

The post said that Bethowen who is believed to be around ten-years-old had been due to visit a vet this week.

It added: ‘We are convinced that in a few months Bethowen will be a beautiful and strong dog. Pets will no longer return to their previous owners.’

The post concluded with a plea for donations to help the running of the shelter, saying: ‘If you want to help Bethowen, we will be grateful for even the smallest donation.’

Staff at the shelter have since insisted that they had no knowledge of the condition the dog was kept in before they were alerted by police.

Polish animal lovers have flooded Animalsi’s Facebook page with messages sending warm wishes to Bethowen and praying for his recovery.

Hanka Bromirska wrote: ‘Good luck dog. You deserve love and a warm home.’

Karolina Stawiarska-Kocent added: ‘Further proof some people don’t deserve to own animals. They treat them like slaves rather than family members. Disgusting!’

The authorities in Poland revealed this week that Piotr had faced five previous investigations into alleged incest and family abuse before the bodies of the babies were found.

Grayna Wawryniuk, a spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdansk told MailOnline that Piotr first faced an allegation of incest 12-years-ago, and then another about ‘two or three years later’.

The other three investigations centred on alleged abuse of members of his family in more recent years.

Ms Wawryniuk said all the investigations were ‘discontinued’ with no charges bought due to a lack of evidence.

Jobless Piotr had 12 children with his late wife Hanna who died aged just 38 in 2008, leading villagers to openly voice their suspicions that Piotr had abused her.

The poverty-stricken family first came to the attention of social services many years ago and first put under supervision by a judge in Gdansk to December, 1997.

The family later moved to the Czerniki area, and the supervision order was transferred with them.

Local media reported today that the District Court in Kocierzyna limited Piotr’s parental authority over his remaining children in March, 2015. He was also ordered to complete parenting lessons.

The probation officer’s supervision gradually ended when his children became adults, and was finally completed in May last year due to the youngest child coming of age, it was reported.

Villagers have claimed that they alerted authorities over the years after hearing the sounds of ‘moaning and screaming’ from Piotr’s detached home on the outskirts of Czerniki.

Others became suspicious after seeing shaven-headed Piotr walking hand in hand with Paulina, and appearing to treat her more as wife than a daughter.

The father and daughter are also said to have been seen choosing perfumes together on rare outings to a local shop and calling each other, ‘Darling’.

Piotr’s alleged reign of terror was only finally exposed last week after staff at the Cukiernia cake shop in Stara Kiszewa where Paulina worked suspected that she was wearing baggy clothes to conceal her latest pregnancy.

One colleague told social services that Paulina may have secretly given birth after she seemed to have lost weight when she returned from ‘holiday’.

The tip off led to a social worker visiting Paulina and coaxing her into confessing what had happened after persuading her domineering father to leave the room.

Villagers are insisting that a young Polish woman accused of murdering her newborn babies from an incestuous relationship with her father is a victim of his depraved behaviour.

Many suggest that Paulina Gierasik, 20, should be treated compassionately due to her having been ‘groomed’ into having sex with her widowed father Piotr Gierasik.

The pair are being held in custody while prosecutors probe their relationship and the discovery of the remains of three babies in the basement of their isolated home in Czerniki in northern Poland.

But locals have begun to express feelings that cake shop production worker Paulina should be receiving help rather than condemnation.

They are also questioning reported claims that she was in a ‘consensual relationship’ with him for years, saying she must have been pressured into it.

Martyna Lewandowska-Tercjak who works as a waitress in the village of Stara Kiszewa where Paulina worked in cake shop, said: ‘I think she is a victim.

‘I don’t believe she should be in jail. She needs specialist psychiatric help after what her father put her through.

‘She was little more than a child, and he must have put pressure on her to accept such acts as being normal.

‘Her mother had died and she was left under her father’s control. It looks like she felt she had no choice.

‘You will have heard of Stockholm Syndrome. She must have known it was wrong when she gave birth, but her father ruled her life.

‘Everyone is saying in the Polish media that she is guilty of homicide, but she believed in her Dad. It was wrong, but she deserves sympathy.’

Martyna added: ‘My friend saw them out in the store buying perfume together. They would call each other ‘Honey’ and ‘Baby’ and say, ‘I love you’.

‘He was also seen slapping her bottom in the village. That would have just been normal for her having grown up with him.’

Adrienn Kotowicz also defended Paulina in a Facebook post, saying: ‘Must have been manipulated since childhood. Stockholm syndrome, mental disorder, trauma.’

Another woman Agnieszka Kroma added in the same thread: ‘Because maybe she was a victim and bullied?’

Piotr’s alleged relationship with Paulina was only exposed last week after her work colleagues became suspicious that she was covering up her latest pregnancy.

One colleague told social services that Paulina may have secretly given birth after she appeared visibly pregnant, despite trying to hide it by wearing baggy clothes, and then seemed to have lost weight when she returned from ‘holiday’.

The tip-off led to a social worker visiting Paulina and coaxing her into confessing what had happened after persuading her domineering father to leave the room.

Police found the bodies of two babies in the basement on Friday at the run-down home where Paulina lived with her father and 24-year-old mentally disabled brother while a third set of remains was recovered on Saturday.

One baby is said to have been born from Piotr’s rape of an older daughter while the last two came from an alleged consensual relationship with Paulina.

He has now been charged with three counts of murder, one count of incest with Paulina, and the rape of his older daughter.

Paulina was also charged last weekend with one count of incest and two counts of murder of her infants.

Prosecutors have been given permission to hold them in custody for three months, pending an investigation which could lead to them both being jailed for life if convicted.

Other outraged locals have taken to community media groups to describe Paulina as a victim of her abusive father.

Posting on local portal Zawsze Pomorze one commentator said: ‘Paulina should be provided with psychological care and not spend the rest of her life in prison!

‘She is a victim herself! ‘Piotr G. took care of his daughter Paulina (without her mother) since she was five-years-old.

‘She was dependent on him, he always had power over her. This young woman’s Stockholm Syndrome/love for her father made her want to get rid of incriminating evidence – children?

‘Was it her father-mate, her god, who suggested that something needed to be done with them? Why didn’t they use condoms?’

Another posting on the local commune’s Weekend FM website said: ‘Degenerates and killers, the daughter was probably brainwashed by constant rapes (sic) from childhood by a paedophile.

‘What is happening to these people to treat their own daughters like this?’

Yet another writing on the local koscierski.info website said: ‘To blame children who lived in a completely sick world created for them by their psychopathic father is simply sick.

‘After all, these kids don’t know any other world…! Please look at all this from a psychological point of view, and don’t put kids in a box.’

Piotr had 12 children with his late wife Hanna who died suddenly in 2008 at the age of 38, just a few years after the family moved from Gdansk to Czerniki.

MailOnline revealed yesterday how prosecutors missed five potential chances to stop Piotr’s reign of terror before the remains of three babies were found in his home.

He was quizzed by authorities on five separate occasions over the last 12 years about claims that he was having sex with his daughters and abusing his children.

But all the investigations were discontinued due to lack of evidence after he fiercely denied any wrong-doing and his daughters apparently refused to admit what had been happening.

Paulina’s brother Jakub Gierasik appeared to condemn his father when he became the first member of his family to comment on the shocking case.

He suggested that there was ‘no excuse’ for his father’s behaviour while making only a cryptic comment about his sister.

Jakub spoke in comments on his father’s Facebook page as angry people bombarded it with messages condemning his family.

In one post he said: ‘People should stop judging the rest of the family by their looks. This is not a book that you can tell the whole story about by the cover.

‘Those who don’t know how it was, please don’t write nonsense about the rest of the family.’

A woman replied: ‘And how it was? There is no excuse for Him.’, leading Jakub to respond: ‘For him, maybe not… But for an older daughter who is innocent?’

Paulina’s daughter is said to have lived for several days after being born around the end of August.

One of her colleagues is reported to have spotted text messages on her phone which listed her father’s name as ‘Piotr’ rather than ‘Dad’.

A message allegedly asked ‘how he was feeling’, referring to a third party, and the 54-year-old replied: ‘She cries all the time’, which suggested a conversation about a child.

Fakt newspaper reported that Pauina’s daughter was born at least three weeks ago, saying: ‘The little girl lived only a few more days. It is known that she cried a lot… She was murdered and her lifeless body was buried in the basement.’

Prosecutor spokesman Mariusz Duszyski said: ‘The woman is charged with two counts of child murder and a charge of incest.

‘The man was charged with three counts of child murder and two counts of incest.’

Comments defending Paulina emerged after it was revealed that her father posted a Facebook picture of her standing in a kitchen in 2019 with the caption ‘Hot girl to take’.

Meanwhile, villagers in the strongly Catholic community have expressed their worries about the babies being unnamed and unbaptised and where they will be buried.

Local mayor Marian Pick said: ‘The commune will probably take care of the children’s funeral, but arrangements have not been made yet, we suspect it will take some time.

‘The house in Czerniki is located in the parish of Stare Polaszki. The babies will probably be buried there.’

He added that they would probably not be buried next to their long suffering mother.

Volodymyr Zelensky brought his battle for more funds and weapons to the White House, hinting to President Joe Biden he wants more missiles as conservative Republicans are refusing to budge on aid to the Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president spent Thursday morning on Capitol Hill, lobbying lawmakers for their support. But far-right GOP lawmakers in the House are stiffling aid even as many GOP senators support sending more funds to Kyiv. 

And it appears Zelensky has been unable to persuade them differently. The right-wing of the party voted down Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s defense bill and conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said her ‘no’ vote came because the bill included money for Ukraine.

‘Our Defense bill should not fund our DOD for blood money for the Ukraine war, that’s why I’m a NO,’ she wrote on X

Biden, however, indicated he thought Congress would ultimately agree to his $24 billion proposal for Kyiv, saying there was ‘no alternative.’

‘I’m counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress. There is no alternative,’ he said. 

Zelensky said he had frank conversations with lawmakers during his closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill.

But funding for his country is falling victim to a civil war among House Republicans. The conservative wing of the GOP doesn’t support more money for Kyiv and has sank budget bills that contain it. 

Biden, meanwhile, announced a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine although it didn’t have all the bells and whistles on Zelensky’s wish list. 

The Ukrainian president wants ATACMS, long-range tactical missiles that Kyiv has been asking for to hit Russian targets in the deep rear of the fight.

‘When it comes to weapons we will discuss everything with a special emphasis on air defense,’ Zelensky said.  

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of Zelensky’s arrival at the White House that President Biden would announce a tranche ‘of military assistance today including significant air defense capabilities to help Ukraine.’

That will include additional ammunition for U.S. provided HIMAR systems, anti-armor capabilities, artillery, and ammunition. But it will not include the ATACMS. 

Additionally, the first abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine next week, Biden announced.

‘We also focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to protect the critical infrastructure,’ Biden said. 

Zelensky thanked Biden for ‘very productive, strong negotiations. And today we have some important results.’

‘It has what our soldiers need now,’ he said.  

Zelensky and his wife Olena got a warm welcome on the South Lawn from Joe and Jill Biden. Hugs were exchanged and the Bidens rolled out the red carpet for the Ukrainian president and first lady.

President Biden called Ukraine a ‘partner’ and said the US is ‘formalizing our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security alongside the G7 and with other partners.’

‘We’re supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ he said. 

The pressure is on Zelensky, who packed his visit to Washington DC with stops on Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the White House, to appeal for aid after Poland yanked its weapons supply during one of Russia’s most brutal missile campaigns. Warsaw said it would now only supply the already-promised weapons.

The Biden administration is pushing for Congress to authorize an additional $24 billion in funding. Zelensky met with lawmakers on Thursday in his battle to persuade skeptical Republicans in Congress to keep sending financial support.

‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,’ Zelensky said, as recounted by Senator Chuck Schumer.

On Thursday morning, Zelensky met the speaker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other committee chairs and ranking members on the first floor of the Capitol. 

McCarthy, notably, didn’t come out to greet the Ukrainian leader. Jeffries met Zelensky at the Capitol entrance and walked him to the meeting site. 

After the meeting, McCarthy said he remains noncommittal about the $24 billion aid package to Ukraine but said Zelensky answered many of lawmakers’ questions on the status of the war. 

McCarthy and Zelensky met behind closed doors where the Ukrainian president told lawmakers: ‘When this war started, you said to me, Ukraine, stay unified and stay strong. I’m coming back and saying to the United States: stay unified and stay strong.’ 

Before his visit, Zelensky asked to deliver another joint address to Congress, as he did last December, Punchbowl News reported, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied the request.

‘Zelensky asked us for a Joint Session and we just didn’t have time,’ McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, pointing out the Ukrainian president had already addressed Congress. Zelensky spoke to a joint session in December when Nancy Pelosi was still speaker.

Congress has already authorized more than $110 billion to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion, and some rightwing members of the GOP have warned the White House they will oppose Biden’s request to send another $24 billion.

Congress has not yet passed any of the 12 spending bills that are needed to keep the government running. It has until September 30th to do or the government shuts down. 

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Zelensky – as part of his plea – told lawmakers ‘he’s winning’ the war.

He said Zelensky told them he needs air cover and long-range artillery for his soldiers. 

Hurting Ukraine’s effort is its spat with Poland. 

Zelensky tried to fan down the flames. 

Despite criticizing Poland at the UN on Wednesday, Zelensky sounded a more conciliatory note when he spoke in the Oval Office on Thursday.

‘I want to thank the Polish people, Polish society for their support. That’s it,’ he said. 

His friendly comment comes as Poland announced it will no longer provide weapons to Kyiv. 

‘We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, sparked by Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers, have intensified in recent days. 

Poland was one Ukraine’s earliest and staunchest allies after Russia invaded. It has taken in over a million refugees and been Kyiv’s biggest supplier of weapons.

Poland has delivered hundreds of Soviet-era tanks and armored personnel carriers for Ukraine’s war effort, as well as 14 MiG-29 fighter jets.

Warsaw’s government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Thursday that Poland ‘only carries out previously agreed supplies of ammunition and weapons, including those resulting from the contracts signed with Ukraine.’ 

Asked whether Warsaw would choose not to sign new contracts for delivering arms to Kyiv, Mueller declined to answer. 

In the US, Zelensky’s focus is on House Republicans, who have made clear they oppose more funding for the Ukraine. 

McCarthy’s stop-gap resolution to keep the government running while lawmakers negotiate a full budget deal lacks any funding for Kyiv. 

And 29 GOP lawmakers wrote to the Biden’s budget chief to express their concerns about how much has already been given to the Ukraine – $100 billion – and to complain the Biden administration  supports an ‘open-ended commitment’ to the country.

They argue Americans need more information on the war effort.

‘How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan?’ they write.  

McCarthy has made similar comments.

‘Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so. I have questions for where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent? What is this the plan for victory?’ he said to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell does support funding Ukraine’s war effort although some conservatives in the upper chamber think the U.S. has done enough to help Kyiv.

McConnell, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, escorted Zelensky into his meeting with senators.  

The Biden administration continues to push for more funding. Zelensky will cap off his visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelensky’s visit comes at a ‘critical time, as Russia is reaching out’ to countries like North Korea and Iran, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. 

Biden can get a ‘battlefield perspective,’ when he meets with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Kirby noted. 

While Zelensky was out of the country, Russia upped its aerial campaign, damaging energy facilities and causing power outages in several region.

Moscow targeted Lviv in the west, near the border with Poland, and Kharkiv, close to Ukraine’s eastern front lines, as well as Kyiv, Cherkasy and Rivne. 

Zelensky arrives in Washington after addressing the UN General Assembly as part of the body’s annual meeting.

He also addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he got tough, accusing it of inaction on Russia’s invasion of his country.

‘Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,’ Zelensky said.

‘We should recognize that the U.N. finds itself in a deadlock on the matters of aggression,’ he noted.

Nikki Haley ramps up criticism of ‘thin-skinned’ and ‘easily distracted’ Trump: 2024 hopeful says he’s ‘weak in the knees’ on Ukraine in most direct attack on her rival – as she rises in the polls

• GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Thursday that history will remember former President Donald Trump as ‘thin-skinned and easily distracted’ 
• She’s touring New Hampshire as she rises in the polls in the Granite State
• Haley, who served as Trump’s U.N. ambassador, was asked how the ex-president will be remembered 100 years from now 

By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com In Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Published: 15:26 EDT, 21 September 2023 | Updated: 15:28 EDT, 21 September 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington D.C. on Thursday facing one of his biggest battles yet to convince skeptical House Republicans to keep approving U.S. aid.

The leader will hold talks on Capitol Hill and with President Joe Biden after Poland’s shock announcement that they would be axing their supply of weapons and as Russia rains down one of its most brutal missile campaigns in weeks.

Congress has already authorized more than $110 billion to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion, and some members of the GOP have warned the White House they will oppose Biden’s request to send another $24 billion.

The pressure is on the Ukrainian president, who will start his day on Capitol Hill where he met with House leaders and then with senators in the Old Senate Chamber, a rare privilege for world leaders. 

The entire Senate was there to greet him. 

He faced a cooler reception across the Capitol on the House side. 

Before his visit, Zelensky asked to deliver another joint address to Congress, as he did last December, Punchbowl News reported, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied the request.

‘Zelensky asked us for a Joint Session and we just didn’t have time,’ McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday  morning. 

Zelensky met the speaker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other committee chairs and ranking members on the first floor of the Capitol. 

McCarthy, notably, didn’t come out to greet the Ukrainian leaders. Jeffries met Zelensky at the Capitol entrance and walked him to the meeting site. 

After the meeting, McCarthy said he remains non committal about the $24 billion aid package but said Zelensky answered many of lawmakers’ questions on the status of the war. 

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Zelensky told lawmakers ‘he´s winning’ the war.

He said Zelensky told them he needs air cover and long-range artillery for his soldiers.  

Zelensky is making his plea for support as Ukraine’s neighbor, Poland, announced it will no longer provide weapons to Kyiv. 

‘We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, sparked by Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers, have intensified in recent days. 

Poland was one Ukraine’s earliest and staunchest allies after Russia invaded. It has taken in over a million refugees and been Kyiv’s biggest supplier of weapons.

In the US, Zelensky’s focus is on House Republicans, who have made clear they oppose more funding for the Ukraine. 

McCarthy’s stop-gap resolution to keep the government running while lawmakers negotiate a full budget deal lacks any funding for Kyiv. 

And now 29 GOP lawmakers wrote to the Biden’s budget chief to express their concerns about how much has already been given to the Ukraine – $100 billion – and to complain the Biden administration  supports an ‘open-ended commitment’ to the country.

They argue Americans need more information on the war effort.

‘How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan?’ they write.  

McCarthy has made similar comments.

‘Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so. I have questions for where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent? What is this the plan for victory?’ he said to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell does support funding Ukraine’s war effort although some conservatives in the upper chamber think the U.S. has done enough to help Kyiv.

McConnell, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, escorted Zelensky into his meeting with senators.  

The Biden administration continues to push for more funding. Zelensky will cap off his visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelensky’s visit comes at a ‘critical time, as Russia is reaching out’ to countries like North Korea and Iran, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. 

Biden can get a ‘battlefield perspective,’ when he meets with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Kirby noted.

While Zelensky was out of the country, Russia upped its aerial campaign, damaging energy facilities and causing power outages in several region.

Moscow targeted Lviv in the west, near the border with Poland, and Kharkiv, close to Ukraine’s eastern front lines, as well as Kyiv, Cherkasy and Rivne. 

Zelensky arrives in Washington after addressing the UN General Assembly as part of the body’s annual meeting.

He also addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he got tough, accusing it of inaction on Russia’s invasion of his country.

‘Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,’ Zelensky said.

‘We should recognize that the U.N. finds itself in a deadlock on the matters of aggression,’ he noted.

Priest is investigated by Polish police after ‘gay orgy’ at his apartment ends in ‘clergyman friend’ overdosing on erectile pills and a male prostitute scandal

• Fr. Tomasz Zmarzły is under investigation after a sex party at his flat went horribly wrong
• A friend of the Polish priest keeled over after taking several potency tablets
• He refused to let paramedics in after a male prostitute he was with called them

By Ed Wight

Published: 11:47 EDT, 20 September 2023 | Updated: 14:33 EDT, 20 September 2023

Harrowing images taken from inside Poland’s incest house of horror have revealed the dingy basement where depraved Piotr Gierasik allegedly threw the newborn babies of his own daughter to die while they continued their four-year relationship.  

Piotr, 54, and Paulina Gierasik, 20, are facing life in prison for murder and incest after the remains of three infants were discovered at the property in the village of Czerniki, in northern Poland, last week. 

Police had conducted a visit at the property after receiving a disturbing tip-off from social services, but while combing the property for evidence discovered a filthy stench emanating from a basement inside the house.

Upon further inspection, they made the horrific find – the rotting corpses of three children who had been tossed into the pitch-black pit. 

Two of the babies were stuffed in plastic bags and buried in a shallow grave in the soft ground beneath the house. A third – believed to belong to another of Piotr’s daughters – was simply left to decompose.

Inspectors were forced to pick their way along a dank corridor crudely held together by cement and crumbling brickwork before lowering themselves into the gloom to make their gruesome discovery.  

Locals interviewed by local media told how the father and daughter were in a relationship for four years and ‘walked around hand-in-hand’. 

Colleagues of Paulina at a cake shop in the neighbouring village of Stara Kiszewa have now told how her father ‘shaved her head so that other boys wouldn’t look at her’ and that she looked up to him ‘as if he were God’.

The father and daughter – who are said to have ‘lived like a couple’ – were each charged with multiple counts of murder and each of incest.

Paulina’s colleagues said they became suspicious that she was pregnant after she started to wear large, loose-fitting clothes. She then took three weeks off work but returned a week later.

One fellow shop worker told the Super Express newspaper: ‘We all guessed she was pregnant, I think she had tied belts around herself like a sort of corset.

‘When she returned early from her holiday the change was visible. She was much thinner, weaker, and constantly tired.

‘When we asked about the child, she feigned surprise and denied it.’

Another local told Fakt newspaper: ‘They lived like a couple. She called him Piotr, by his first name. They walked around hand in hand.

‘A few months ago, he shaved her head so that other boys wouldn’t look at her.

‘She looked up to him as if he were God.’

Addressing the arrests earlier, Mariusz Duszyński from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk said: ‘The woman has been charged with two counts of murder and a charge of having an incestuous relationship with her father.

‘The man was charged with three counts of murder, a charge of incest with his 20-year-old daughter, and a charge of having incestuous relations with another daughter.’

According to prosecutors, two of the murdered children came from his relationship with the 20-year-old who they say was in a consensual relationship with her father.

The third baby was from a relationship he had with another daughter after forcing her into sex.

The prosecutors added that they suspected him of killing the third baby.

Grażyna Wawryniuk from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk told the Polish Press Agency: ‘Our system’s data shows that in recent years, proceedings have been conducted regarding abuse of other family members.

‘Even earlier, proceedings were conducted on suspicion of incest.

‘All these proceedings were ended at the stage of the prosecutor’s office due to the lack of data sufficient to justify the suspicion of committing the offences.’

She added that prosecutors would now re-examine the previous evidence.

The grim discoveries came after police received a tip-off from social services. One of Paulina’s work colleagues is reported to have alerted social services after seeing a ‘disturbing’ text message the 20-year-old had sent to her father.

Moving to the village around 15 years ago, Piotr was left to bring up his children after his wife died.

A family friend has said that Piotr Gierasik who lives off social benefits used to beat his former wife.

Described as a ‘loving and caring’ mother, the friend told Fakt newspaper that Hania, who died 15 years ago on 18 September, was regularly abused by her husband.

The friend said: ‘She was a caring mother and a very good woman.

‘But he was picking fights with her every day. The whole village could hear him shouting at her. Hania was regularly beaten up.

‘He had sex with his daughters when Hania was alive, she was not able to defend them.

‘She was never sick, but suddenly she lost weight, her hair fell out, she was hospitalised and never came out alive, her death was never explained, I don’t believe she just died like that, she was only 38 years old.

‘Hania was very important to her daughters, the children regularly visit her at the cemetery.’

One local told the Super Express newspaper: ‘The father was left alone with the children.

‘There are a lot of them, ten or twelve, the oldest ones have already left.

‘Piotr made a good impression. The yard is neglected, but he installed new windows in the house.

‘There was no sign of him drinking. He took the kids for walks or to the forest to pick mushrooms.

‘Just ordinary people. Who would have thought that such abominations existed in their home.’

But other locals told Fakt that while he ‘seemed calm’ he ‘had the devil under his skin’.

It comes as the small town of Czerniki – with a population of less than 180, located 50km from Gdańsk – has been accused of holding a ‘conspiracy of silence’ over the allegedly known relationship between the father and daughter.

Locals said they ‘always suspected something was wrong’ with the family.

One neighbour said: ‘We often heard him shouting at the children. His verbal abuse was shocking. Sometimes we’d hear one of girls screaming.

‘What people say now is that he used to go for walks with them. Maybe he did, but the whole village knew that something like this was happening.

‘It’s a tiny village, so everyone knew about these things.

‘Around ten years ago, the police were told that he was sleeping with one of his daughters. But after they investigated they couldn’t find any concrete evidence.

‘The older daughter, who we suspected he had slept with was so scared she refused to say anything.

‘He [the father] has such a personality that everyone in this village was afraid of him. That’s why this case didn’t appear for so long’.

‘She later moved away, as did many of his other children. There were about twelve of them.’

A neighbour of the older daughter told Super Express: ‘She now lives in our village.

‘She has a decent husband. As far as I remember, everyone said that she ran away from that father.

‘If I were her husband, I would kill that monster. If someone hurt my wife like that, I would kill him too.

Police have so far discovered the remains of three babies buried in the family’s house.

Unconfirmed reports say that one of the bodies wrapped in a black plastic bin liner was about three weeks old at the time of death.

Katarzyna Matyszczak, the manager of the confectionery shop where Paulina worked, said: ‘Everyone was gossiping about it.

‘His youngest daughter Paulina is a beautiful girl. Everyone said she was pregnant. So I asked about it directly.

‘She denied it. One of her friends didn’t believe it. I won’t say who, but she was the one who informed the relevant services about the whole matter, because she suspected that she had given birth to a child.’

Prosecutors are now waiting for an autopsy to determine how the three babies died. Meanwhile, police are continuing to search the property to see if any more bodies are hidden in the house.

Both the father and daughter are currently in detention as the investigation continues.

Neighbours of an incest horror house where three babies were found rotting in the basement claim they heard the daughter moaning and screaming as she had sex with her ‘swearing and cursing’ father.

Piotr Gierasik, 54, and Paulina Gierasik, 20, are facing life in prison for murder and incest after three babies’ remains were discovered in shallow graves and wrapped in plastic bags at the property in the village of Czerniki, northern Poland.

The father and daughter – who are said to have been in a relationship for four years – were only found out when the girl’s vigilant colleagues discovered she was pregnant.

Colleagues of Paulina at a cake shop in the neighbouring village of Stara Kiszewa say she started wearing loose clothes as if she were trying to hide her belly.

And after coming back from holiday the shocked workers saw she totally transformed despite being away for just a week – as she was thinner, weaker, constantly tired and was forced to keep sitting down. 

But she was finally discovered when her workmates noticed her covering her nipples with tissues because her milk was leaking. 

One colleague – who Polish newspaper Fakt said was visibly distressed – claimed it was because of them that the couple were found out. ‘We were all shocked,’ he said.

The father and daughter were said to have ‘lived like a couple’ and ‘walked around hand-in-hand’.

And shocking testimony has now told how her father ‘shaved her head so that other boys wouldn’t look at her’ and that she looked up to him ‘as if he were God’.

The father and daughter were each charged with multiple counts of murder and each of incest.

It comes after the first two babies were found on Friday but further investigations revealed a third body in an ‘advanced state of decomposition’ on Saturday.

Two of the infants belonged to Paulina, investigators said, and the mother of the third is her sister. 

Paulina’s colleagues said they became suspicious that she was pregnant after she started to wear large, loose-fitting clothes. She then took three weeks off work but returned a week later.

One fellow shop worker told the Super Express newspaper: ‘We all guessed she was pregnant, I think she had tied belts around herself like a sort of corset.

‘When she returned early from her holiday the change was visible. She was much thinner, weaker, and constantly tired.

‘When we asked about the child, she feigned surprise and denied it.’

Another local told Fakt newspaper: ‘They lived like a couple. She called him Piotr, by his first name. They walked around hand in hand.

‘A few months ago, he shaved her head so that other boys wouldn’t look at her.

‘She looked up to him as if he were God.’

Addressing the arrests earlier, Mariusz Duszyński from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk said: ‘The woman has been charged with two counts of murder and a charge of having an incestuous relationship with her father.

‘The man was charged with three counts of murder, a charge of incest with his 20-year-old daughter, and a charge of having incestuous relations with another daughter.’

According to prosecutors, two of the murdered children came from his relationship with the 20-year-old who they say was in a consensual relationship with her father.

The third baby was from a relationship he had with another daughter after forcing her into sex.

The prosecutors added that they suspected him of killing the third baby.

The grim discoveries came after police received a tip-off from social services. One of Paulina’s work colleagues is reported to have alerted social services after seeing a ‘disturbing’ text message the 20-year-old had sent to her father.

Police found the three infant bodies in the basement of the house, each in various states of decomposition. The ground was covered in dirt and there was no solid floor where they were buried.

Moving to the village around 15 years ago, Piotr was left to bring up his children after his wife died.

One local told the Super Express newspaper: ‘The father was left alone with the children.

‘There are a lot of them, ten or twelve, the oldest ones have already left.

‘Piotr made a good impression. The yard is neglected, but he installed new windows in the house.

‘There was no sign of him drinking. He took the kids for walks or to the forest to pick mushrooms.

‘Just ordinary people. Who would have thought that such abominations existed in their home.’

But other locals told Fakt that while he ‘seemed calm’ he ‘had the devil under his skin’.

It comes as the small town of Czerniki – with a population of less than 180, located 50km from Gdańsk – has been accused of holding a ‘conspiracy of silence’ over the allegedly known relationship between the father and daughter.

Locals said they ‘always suspected something was wrong’ with the family.

One neighbour said: ‘We often heard him shouting at the children. His verbal abuse was shocking. Sometimes we’d hear one of the girls screaming.

‘What people say now is that he used to go for walks with them. Maybe he did, but the whole village knew that something like this was happening.

‘It’s a tiny village, so everyone knew about these things.

‘Around ten years ago, the police were told that he was sleeping with one of his daughters. But after they investigated they couldn’t find any concrete evidence.

‘The older daughter, who we suspected he had slept with was so scared she refused to say anything.

‘He [the father] has such a personality that everyone in this village was afraid of him. That’s why this case didn’t appear for so long.

‘She later moved away, as did many of his other children. There were about twelve of them.’

A neighbour of the older daughter told Super Express: ‘She now lives in our village.

‘She has a decent husband. As far as I remember, everyone said that she ran away from that father.

‘If I were her husband, I would kill that monster. If someone hurt my wife like that, I would kill him too.’

Police have so far discovered the remains of three babies buried in the family’s house.

Unconfirmed reports say that one of the bodies wrapped in a black plastic bin liner was about three weeks old at the time of death.

Katarzyna Matyszczak, the manager of the confectionery shop where Paulina worked, said: ‘Everyone was gossiping about it.

‘His youngest daughter Paulina is a beautiful girl. Everyone said she was pregnant. So I asked about it directly.

‘She denied it. One of her friends didn’t believe it. I won’t say who, but she was the one who informed the relevant services about the whole matter, because she suspected that she had given birth to a child.’

Prosecutors are now waiting for an autopsy to determine how the three babies died. Meanwhile, police are continuing to search the property to see if any more bodies are hidden in the house.

Both the father and daughter are currently in detention as the investigation continues.