Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Europe is in a "pre-war era" and if Ukraine is defeated by Russia, nobody should feel safe.
His worrying statement came as NATO fighter jets had to be scrambled after Russia launched a massive aerial attack close to Ukraine’s border with Poland targeting three power plants.
"I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past," he said "It's real and it started over two years ago." Mr Tusk said Vladimir Putin had already blamed Ukraine for the jihadist attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall without any evidence and "evidently feels the need to justify increasingly violent attacks on civil targets in Ukraine".
The gravity of his statement underscores the urgency of the situation, with Mr Tusk asserting that Europe faces a threat unparalleled since the end of World War II.
Of particular concern to Mr Tusk is the unsettling reality that "literally any scenario is possible". This sentiment reflects the deep-seated anxieties in Europe due to Russia's belligerent actions despite Putin's repeated denials of any intentions to attack NATO.
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Mr Tusk said Europe is in a "pre-war" era (Getty Images)Recent events have only heightened concerns and Mr Tusk said the scrambling of NATO fighter jets close to Poland was a "troubling incident". While he sees a war with Russia as a disturbing possibility he said that Europe remains ill-prepared to confront the looming threat.
"We must be ready. Europe still has a long way to go," he said, urging member states to meet NATO's target of allocating 2% of their GDP to defence. And he also pointed to the need for continued support in Ukraine to halt Russia's aggression.
"Today we have to spend as much as we can to buy equipment and ammunition for Ukraine, because we are living in the most critical moment since the end of the Second World War," he stressed. The outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, Mr Tusk warned, will have far-reaching implications for the security and stability of the entire continent.
Three thermal power plants of Ukraine's largest private power firm DTEK were hit in the attack by Russia close to the Polish border with a spokesman for the company saying equipment was "severely damaged".
"After the attack ended, the power engineers promptly started to repair the damage," the company said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo also said that both thermal and hydropower plants had been badly damaged in missile and drone attacks.
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