Russia could attack NATO ‘in the coming months’ – Tusk

He made these remarks in an interview with the Financial Times.

As Tusk noted, the key question for Europe is whether the US is prepared to act as decisively as required by NATO treaties. He warned that Russia could launch an attack on one of the Alliance’s member states ‘within a few months’.

The media noted that this “unusual statement” by the Polish leader reflects the growing uncertainty in Europe following President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw the US from the Alliance and his inconsistent stance on defending the continent. Tusk emphasised that it is important for the countries on NATO’s eastern flank to understand whether the Alliance remains capable of responding swiftly – both politically and logistically – in the event of Russian aggression.

He also recalled last year’s incident when around 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace. According to the Prime Minister, some allies at the time “pretended nothing had happened”. At the same time, he clarified that he does not question the validity of NATO’s Article 5 on collective defence, but wants these guarantees to work not only ‘on paper’ but also in practice.

Tusk emphasised that this is a real threat in the short term – “we are talking about months, not years”. He said it is critically important for Poland to understand that all allies will take their NATO commitments just as seriously. Tusk added that his main goal now is the ‘reintegration of Europe’, which entails a common defence and coordinated efforts to protect the eastern borders. He also noted that, paradoxically, one of the few positive outcomes of the war in Ukraine has been a growing awareness in Europe of the need for unity in the military sphere and on defence issues.

As a reminder, the ISW previously reported that the Kremlin was laying the groundwork for aggression against the Baltic states.

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