Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Europe is in a “pre-war era” but still has a “long way to go” before it is ready to face the threat posed by Russia.
“War is no longer a concept of the past. It's real and it started more than two years ago. The most worrying thing right now is that literally any scenario is possible. We haven’t seen a situation like this since 1945,” Tusk said in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt published on Friday (29).
“I know it seems devastating, especially for the younger generation, but we have to get used to the fact that a new era has begun: the pre-war era. I’m not exaggerating, it’s getting clearer every day.”
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, European leaders and military officials have become increasingly concerned that the conflict could spread to other countries on its border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia intends to attack NATO countries.
Russia's war has upended the post-Cold War geopolitical order, forcing Europe to take its defense seriously after decades of declining military budgets and prompting countries on its border to take more drastic measures.
Sweden and Finland have recently joined NATO – something that even two years ago would have been unthinkable for the two neutral Scandinavian countries. In the Baltic countries, Estonia and Lithuania have bolstered their defense budgets well above NATO's minimum commitment of 2% of GDP. And Moldova, which borders Ukraine and has long been vulnerable to Russian meddling, is on an accelerated path to the European Union.
Meanwhile, the triumvirate of France, Germany and Poland – the so-called “Weimar Triangle” – has led the continent's efforts to rearm and protect itself against further Russian aggression.
Tusk returned to power after last year's election and has since tried to bring Poland back into the European mainstream after nearly a decade of authoritarian rule under the populist Law and Justice Party.
Poland, between Germany and Russia, has long been aware of the importance of a strong defense. This year, Poland's military budget was more than 4% of its GDP – double the NATO guideline. It also welcomed millions of Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion.
Last weekend, Poland said a Russian cruise missile targeting Ukraine had entered its airspace – a repeated occurrence during more than two years of war – and demanded an explanation from Moscow.
Despite Europe's efforts to bolster its defense, Tusk said the continent still “has a long way to go.” He said it must be “independent and self-sufficient in defense” while maintaining a strong US alliance.
While US President Joe Biden has remained steadfast in his support for Ukraine, former President Donald Trump said last month that, if re-elected in November, he would encourage Russia to do “whatever it wants” to any member of the NATO that does not comply with defense spending guidelines.
“Our job is to nurture transatlantic relationships, regardless of who the U.S. president is,” Tusk said.
Tusk also warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the terrorist attack on Moscow's Crocus Town Hall as a pretext to escalate the war in Ukraine.
“We know from history that Putin uses these tragedies for his own purposes,” he said, recalling the events of 2002, when Chechen gunmen took 800 hostages at the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow and in 2004, when Chechen rebels took 1,200 children and adults hostage. at a school in Beslan, southern Russia.
“Putin has already begun to blame Ukraine for preparing this attack, although he has not provided any evidence. Obviously, he feels the need to justify the increasingly violent attacks on civilian locations in Ukraine,” Tusk said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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