Donald Tusk Warns: Russia May Attack NATO in the Coming Months 0 21

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made a troubling statement, indicating that Russia is capable of attacking a NATO country in the near future – referring to months, not years. He also expressed doubts about the readiness of the United States to fulfill its obligations to protect Europe under NATO in the event of such an invasion. In an interview with the Financial Times, Tusk emphasized: "For the entire eastern flank, my neighbors… the question is whether NATO is still an organization that is politically and logistically ready to respond, for example, against Russia, if it attempts to attack."

Tusk clarified that his remarks are not "skepticism about NATO's Article 5," but rather express "hopes that the guarantees on paper will turn into something very practical." He stressed the seriousness of the situation, stating: "This is really serious. I am talking about the short term, rather months than years," referring to a possible Russian invasion.

Prime Minister Tusk noted that he has "no complexes" regarding American-Polish relations, but the key question is how these ties will manifest in the face of a real threat. He added: "I want to believe that [Article 5] is still valid, but sometimes, of course, I have problems." "I don’t want to be such a pessimist… but today we need a practical context as well," he summarized.

As an example, Tusk cited an incident from last year when about 20 Russian drones invaded Polish airspace, but some NATO allies refused to regard it as an attack. He recalled: "I had problems on the night of September when the Russians carried out this rather large-scale provocation using drones. It was not easy for me to convince our NATO partners that this was not an accidental incident, but a well-planned and prepared provocation against Poland."

The Prime Minister added that for some NATO members, "it was much easier to pretend that nothing happened." He stated: "Therefore, I want to be sure that if something happens, then… Russia will know that the response will be tough and unequivocal."

Tusk emphasized that for effectively countering a potential strike, Europe needs specific tools and significant power in defense capabilities, as well as mobility of armed forces between states. He noted: "Paradoxically, if you have any positive aspects of the Ukrainian war, this is one of them: Europe is increasingly aware that we will be together in military aspects [and] defense."

Russian Threat to NATO

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made accusations against the Baltic states. She claimed that they allegedly provide their airspace to Ukraine for strikes against the Russian Federation. Zakharova warned that if Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia do not cease these actions, they will face retaliatory measures.

Reuters reported that ten European countries are actively developing plans for the evacuation of civilians in the event of military conflict. This initiative takes into account the valuable experience of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Germany and Poland, as well as other NATO member countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark, have joined in creating such plans.