Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said intelligence assessments indicate Russia may launch drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland. He said the suspected aim would be to weaken NATO’s ability to respond collectively, while Warsaw separately scrambled military aircraft after a Russian attack in western Ukraine near the Polish border.
What Tusk said about Russia’s alleged plans
Addressing parliament on Thursday, Tusk said the assessment included “hybrid” drone and missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine. He did not identify which intelligence agencies provided the warning.
Tusk said the attacks could be designed to make NATO members hesitate to invoke the alliance’s provisions if a member country came under aggression. He also warned that possible strikes could coincide with political changes in European countries that give greater influence to parties calling for peace with Russia, which he characterised as Ukraine’s total capitulation.
Key points
- The suspected attacks were described as potentially “accidental” in appearance while intended to weaken NATO’s resolve.
- Poland temporarily closed airports in Rzeszow and Lublin and issued air raid warnings in two eastern regions.
- Warsaw says it is reinforcing air defence, rapid-response systems and military air activity.
Poland responds after attack near its border
Poland said it scrambled military planes after a Russian attack in western Ukraine, close to the country’s border. Tusk said a petrol station near Dorohusk was most likely attacked. Sirens sounded, some pupils sought shelter, and residents in two eastern regions received air raid warnings.
The incident followed a Sunday drone strike on a passenger train in Ukraine, reported to have occurred two kilometres from the Polish border. Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said F-16 and helicopter activity had been increased and that air defence and rapid-response systems were being reinforced.
Planned talks with Ukraine
Tusk said he would visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday to discuss cooperation through the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition. The coalition is developing an air-defence system with Ukraine as a cheaper alternative to the US-built Patriot system. Read the context: Coalition forms to create joint European ballistic missile defence programme.
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