Polish PM: Russia is preparing for escalation, next 7–8 months will be critical
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said there were signs that Russia was seriously preparing for an escalation and that the next seven to eight months could be critical for the security of Ukraine, Poland and the entire region.
Source: Ukrinform, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Tusk was asked, among other things, about the recent visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow. In response, Tusk said that Poland was in constant contact with the CIA leadership and had not been caught off guard by information about Ratcliffe's activities.
He noted that some information must remain confidential when it comes to security issues, but this did not mean that the public should be deprived of information about the most important threats.
Tusk stressed that the issue was now no longer limited to the CIA director's visit to Moscow.
According to Tusk, numerous public signals of Russia preparing for an escalation had emerged in recent weeks. He said Russia was very seriously preparing to escalate tensions, both in its war against Ukraine and across the region, and that autumn and winter would be crucial for Russia.
Background:
- Politico said that during his visit to Moscow, Ratcliffe warned Russian officials not to escalate the conflict with US allies in NATO, particularly Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- On the morning of 26 August, US President Donald Trump rejected suggestions that Ratcliffe had made the trip to persuade Putin not to test NATO's resolve or attack the United Kingdom, which had pledged to increase its support for Ukraine that week. Trump described the visit as "semi-routine" but acknowledged that its purpose was to help bring the war to an end.
- Trump said he did not want to disappoint people and that the US wanted the war in Ukraine to end.
- The Kremlin said that the CIA director's visit was related to contacts between the Russian and US intelligence services.
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