Tusk after call with Rutte: the next six months will be decisive for Europe

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that the coming six months will be decisive for Poland, NATO and Europe as a whole, warning that preparations must be made for a range of possible scenarios. He wrote this on social media platform X following a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

According to Tusk, Rutte shared his assessment of the situation in the region and along the Ukrainian-Russian front line. "As I have warned before, Russia is escalating," the Polish prime minister wrote. He stressed that Ukraine needs far greater air support, which is also crucial for Europe's own security. "We cannot rule out a provocation by Russia against a NATO member state," the head of the Polish government added.

Signs of preparation for escalation

On Friday, Tusk spoke at the annual socio-political youth forum Campus Poland of the Future, where he said Russia is preparing for rising tensions and pointed to a number of signals confirming this.

The prime minister also commented on CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow on Tuesday. "I can't go into excessive detail, but we are in constant contact with CIA leadership, so no information about the director's steps or initiatives will catch us off guard. We were also notified in advance of the need for urgent talks on this matter at the highest possible Polish-American level," Tusk said.

"There are enough signals"

The head of the Polish cabinet recalled that several weeks ago, in an interview, he had warned of the real risk that Russia might stage a major provocation or even carry out a limited strike against a NATO state. "And many commentators said back then that Tusk had lost his mind," the politician remarked with regret.

"I knew exactly what I was talking about. Today no one doubts it anymore, and it's not just about the CIA director's visit to Moscow. These signals have been publicly known for several weeks now. It's obvious that Russia is seriously preparing to escalate tensions — both in the war against Ukraine and across the entire region — and that the coming autumn and winter will be pivotal for Russia," the head of the Polish government concluded.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday that Russia views the European Union as a hostile party and sees no prospects for improving relations. According to him, current European politicians are taking a confrontational stance toward Russia "not only in words, but in deeds as well." However, it remained unclear exactly which statements Peskov was referring to.

Source: novinky.cz