Russia shows no sign of halting the escalation, and the next six months could prove to be a period of “crucial importance” for the security of Poland and NATO as a whole, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk following a briefing with the Alliance’s Secretary-General, Mark Rutte. He posted his statement on social media platform X.
“As I warned, Russia’s escalation continues. Ukraine needs significant support in terms of air defence, which is also important for our own security. This is a challenge for the whole of Europe,” noted the Polish Prime Minister.
According to Tusk, Warsaw and NATO must prepare in advance for various possible scenarios.
“The next six months will be decisive, and we must be ready – both as Poland and as NATO – for various scenarios. We cannot rule out provocations by Russia against one of the NATO countries,” he emphasised.
However, Tusk did not specify exactly which scenarios or provocations he had in mind.
Earlier, Pavel Palisa, Deputy Head of the President’s Office, told journalists that the Russian military had been tasked by the Kremlin with preparing several scenarios for a possible operation in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv. At the same time, he said, Ukraine has not yet detected any signs of “immediate preparations for an offensive” in these areas.
He added that the Ukrainian side had received “relevant information from intelligence agencies and verified it through several independent sources”.
Poland has been a member of NATO since 1999. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Warsaw has repeatedly called for the Alliance’s eastern flank to be strengthened and for its own defence capabilities to be built up.