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Donald Tusk: “We have to get used to the fact that a new era has begun”
Photo: Attila Husejnow / SOPA Images / IMAGO
According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Russian invasion of Ukraine a good two years ago ushered in a new, warlike era in Europe. »I know it sounds devastating, especially for the younger generation, but we have to get used to the fact that a new era has begun: the pre-war period. I'm not exaggerating; “That’s becoming clearer every day,” he told “Welt” and European partner media. »I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past. It’s real, and it started over two years ago.”
What's most concerning right now is that literally any scenario is possible, Tusk said. "We haven't experienced a situation like this since 1945." That year, the Second World War ended with the surrender of Hitler's Germany. Tusk said he remembered a photo from his childhood that hung in his family's home. »It showed Sopot beach full of laughing people. It was taken on August 31, 1939 - a few hours later the Second World War began five kilometers away.
Explosions in Ukraine heard in Poland
Tusk described the penetration of a Russian cruise missile into Polish airspace as a “worrying incident.” If Lviv or other cities in western Ukraine were attacked, the explosions would also be heard on the Polish side, said the Polish head of government.
Tusk warned against loosening or even dissolving the military alliance with the USA "because of Trump's policies or anti-American sentiment in some European countries." "I believe that we need a strong alliance with America, but at the same time we need to be independent and self-sufficient in defense," said Tusk. Poland already spends four percent of its gross domestic product on defense.
boy/dpa