POLAND CANNOT AFFORD NAIVETY—TUSK WARNS EUROPE TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has rejected any suggestion that Moscow is displaying goodwill or preparing to moderate its aggression, warning that Poland must plan around Russia’s actions rather than its statements.
“We certainly will not naively accept messages that Russia has goodwill and that it will begin behaving properly,” Tusk said. “Nothing indicates that—neither history nor the actions of recent days. Poland and Poles cannot afford naivety or wishful thinking. We must operate on facts, and they are clear.”
Tusk warned that Russia is likely to intensify its attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches, seeking to leave civilians without electricity and heating during the coldest months.
“I fear that by winter we will witness increasingly severe attacks by Russia on energy infrastructure,” he said. “I can only express hope that these provocations and attacks will not go beyond Ukraine’s borders. But hope, unfortunately, is not certainty. We are preparing here in Poland for different scenarios.”
That preparation should not be confused with panic or a prediction that war will inevitably reach Poland. It is an acknowledgement that deterrence only works when an adversary knows its potential targets are prepared to respond.
Recent Russian attacks have moved increasingly close to Poland, striking infrastructure and a Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train near the border. Warsaw has also warned that Moscow may target border crossings and transportation routes connecting Ukraine with Europe in an attempt to disrupt trade, military assistance and civilian travel.
Poland is not alone. Governments across Europe are strengthening borders, preparing hospitals, expanding drone defenses and examining the vulnerability of railways, airports, ports and energy infrastructure.