Ukraine is ready to fight Russia for the next two or three years, but I am afraid that the war may last a decade, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in an interview for the Sunday Times, which the newspaper published on its website on Saturday.
– I have no doubt that Ukraine will survive as an independent state, Tusk said in his first interview with the British media after taking office again in 2023.
– Now the most important question is how many more victims we will suffer. President (Volodymyr – PAP) Zelensky told me on Thursday that he hopes the war will not last ten years, but Ukraine is ready to fight for two or three more years, said the head of the Polish government.
He added that Russia “has no chance of survival” in the long term and is facing “dramatic” problems, which have deepened, among others, new US sanctions imposed on the Russian oil industry on Wednesday.
– Russians have really serious economic problems – said Tusk. – Does this mean we can say we are winning? Absolutely not. (Russians – PAP) have one great advantage over the West, and especially over Europe: they are ready to fight (…) in times of war, this is an absolutely key issue. (…) You have no chance of winning if you are not ready to fight or at least sacrifice something, emphasized the Polish Prime Minister.
He also warned Britain that it could no longer live in the “sweet illusion” that it would be spared in the event of a war between NATO countries and Russia. Tusk emphasized that if Moscow deployed Oreshnik ballistic missiles on the territory of Belarus or Königsberg, it could easily launch a nuclear warhead targeting any European capital, including London. Tusk emphasized that “the threat is global and universal, primarily due to the technology used.”
In the opinion of the Polish Prime Minister, the Russians are ready to “destroy cyber infrastructure related to the Polish railway and hospitals.” – That is why you cannot live in the sweet illusion (…) that this is not your war – he added.
The Sunday Times' interlocutor also admitted that he felt a bit of “bitter satisfaction” because he had been warning against Moscow's hostile intentions for many years.
– We are talking about the end of the era of illusions in Europe. I'm afraid it's too late. It's too late to prepare well for all threats, but it's not too late to survive, said the head of government. According to him, “politics was, is and will always be about the same thing: violence, who is stronger, borders and territories, conflicts of interest.”
The Sunday Times recalled that Poland will soon have the largest conventional armed forces in the EU. “Tusk said that the purchasing power of the average Pole will surpass Japan this year, and soon after that of Spain and New Zealand,” wrote the British newspaper.
In the Prime Minister's opinion, Poland's successes and moral authority give him the right to the role of a geopolitical leader. – The Polish way of thinking should become a pan-European way – said Tusk.
The newspaper noted that the head of the Polish government “is clearly frustrated watching the actions of some European politicians who are already thinking about rebuilding relations with Russia.” – For me it is always like a wake-up call – Tusk said.
“He argues convincingly that Ukraine should be a member of both the EU and NATO, despite widespread fears in Poland that Ukrainians may weaken their economic position or excessively expand the Alliance's defense systems,” wrote the British newspaper.
– This may change the fatalism weighing on our region, which assumes that Ukrainians, Poles or other smaller nations must fall prey to Germans or Russians from time to time, Tusk said. In his opinion, we should “take advantage of this unique moment, but also a very critical one for Ukraine today, (…) because it is very likely that in the next five or seven years Poland will be the leader in this part of Europe. Together with Ukraine, we can be truly safe and no one, not even Russia, will have a chance to do something to us.”
The Sunday Times emphasized that Tusk had many opportunities to observe how “many of his Western partners fell under the spell of the Russian dictator”, including US President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The newspaper emphasized that the Polish Prime Minister “is too diplomatic an Atlanticist to suggest that US President Donald Trump may also be susceptible to Putin's flattery.”
– Don't believe that Putin is some extraordinary personality, a magician with magnetism or charisma. (…) He is an extremely ordinary and simple person. Conversations with him are not interesting. He has a very simple way of thinking and it is always about who has more power and who is ready to use it against him, Tusk said.
The head of the Polish government said that any agreement with Putin regarding Ukraine would not be worth the signed document. In his opinion, there will still be a “constant, eternal war” until Russia undergoes drastic changes.
When asked about the American president's peace plan for Israel and the Gaza Strip, Tusk replied: “I have to be very careful when commenting on any American initiative. I have my own view and my own assessment of President Trump.”
Asked about mass migrations to Europe, he said they were a serious threat to Europe, especially the “increasingly difficult ethnic and cultural relations within societies.” In Tusk's opinion, an important part of the problem is the rigid and expanding interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. The British newspaper emphasized that Poland, Denmark and Italy are openly pressing the Court in Strasbourg on this matter.
“Tusk favors the more radical solution proposed by the Reform UK Party and the Conservative Party in Great Britain: if the 46 signatories of the convention cannot agree on its modifications, he believes it would be quite reasonable to consider simply leaving the convention,” wrote the Sunday Times.
– My role in Europe is rather to encourage prime ministers and presidents to do more than conventions allow us to do. (…) I know it sounds a bit strange coming from me, as a veteran of the fight for human rights. But we must respect reality. Politics must be about reality, not just dreams, Tusk said.
Marta Zabłocka (PAP)
mzb/piu/
