In light of the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation and the approaching strikes on the eastern borders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday of the possibility of countries in the alliance being exposed to “hybrid” Russian attacks that include the use of drones and missiles.
Tusk explained, in a speech before the Polish Parliament, that “consistent and convincing” intelligence estimates indicate that there is a real danger of marches falling on the territory of one or more of the countries of the eastern wing of the alliance, stressing that the goal of these operations may be to paralyze or weaken the resolve of NATO countries and prevent them from activating the joint defense provisions if one of the member states is exposed to an attack.
These warnings coincide with increasing European fears about the spread of the repercussions of the war. European capitals suspect Moscow of involvement in a series of sabotage operations that the continent has witnessed over the past months to put pressure on countries supporting Kiev, led by Germany, while the Kremlin strongly denies these accusations.
The Polish warning was issued in conjunction with a widespread wave of Russian attacks with missiles and drones that targeted the capital, Kiev, and other Ukrainian cities on September 17, which prompted Poland to move its military aircraft to protect its borders, without recording any violation of its airspace, according to Reuters.
At the diplomatic and field levels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his country is preparing to hold new talks with the United States that will address the prospects for a settlement, in addition to energy, food security and armaments issues, confirming that Kiev will soon receive new aid packages focusing on air defense systems.
In this context, the United States agreed to transfer 10 Patriot interceptor missiles stationed in Germany to Ukraine, worth $29 million, as part of efforts to enhance Ukrainian air defense capabilities.
These developments on the ground continue in parallel with faltering diplomatic efforts to end the war, amid continuing radical disagreements between Moscow, Kiev and their Western allies, and mounting European concerns about the direct transfer of the confrontation to the territory of NATO countries.
