WARSAW, March 12 - The following are significant news stories, press reports and events on Wednesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 1 hour):

INTEREST RATES

On Wednesday, the Polish Monetary Policy Council $(MPC)$ will announce its decision on interest rates. All analysts surveyed by Reuters expect the cost of credit to remain unchanged in March.

PRIME MINISTER TUSK

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that it seemed there had been an important step towards peace, after Ukraine voiced readiness to accept a United States proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia.

MINISTER OF DEFENCE

Poland is ready for American support for Ukraine via its territory to be resumed, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Tuesday, after Ukraine voiced readiness to accept a United States proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia.

He also said that Poland is open to the French proposal of extending its nuclear umbrella to cover Poland, but it needs details.

AIRCRAFT ORDERS

Polish airline LOT is soon to decide on a tender for the delivery of up to 84 medium-range aircraft. Competing manufacturers - Embraer and Airbus - are also counting on orders for military aircraft, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily reported.

MILITARY SERVICE

More than half of surveyed Poles support the return of compulsory military service, Rzeczpospolita daily reported, citing an IBRiS poll.

MINING

Polish Minister of Industry Marzena Czarnecka said in an interview that working arrangements with the European Commission show that it will agree to state aid for Polish mining, Rzeczpospolita daily reported.

TRADE WITH UKRAINE

The Polish economy ended last year with a very high surplus in trade with Ukraine. Exports of goods to Ukraine, which are higher than to the U.S. or Spain, were worth over 56 billion zlotys ($14.53 billion), which is 5 billion zlotys ($1.30 billion) more than a year earlier, the Gazeta Wybrocza daily reported.

CITI HANDLOWY

Poland's Citi Handlowy BHW.WA posted a 22% fall in annual net profit on Wednesday, impacted by write-downs in the retail banking segment totalling 432.5 million zlotys ($112.29 million) and higher operating expenses.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

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($1 = 3.8537 zlotys)

(Reporting by Warsaw Bureau)

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