One of NATO's key allies is sounding the alarm about the prospect of a regional war in Europe.
The threat of conflict engulfing the continent is a real possibility since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland told European media group LENA on Friday.
"War is no longer a concept from the past. It is real and it started over two years ago," said Tusk, a former European Council president from 2014 to 2019. "The most worrying thing at the moment is that literally any scenario is possible. We haven't seen a situation like this since 1945."
Despite comparing the situation to the threat of Hitler's Nazi Germany in World War II, Tusk said he's trying to spread preparedness and not fear. "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 era," said Tusk. "I'm not exaggerating; it's becoming clearer every day."
And if Russia defeats Ukraine, Tusk said, no one in Europe will feel safe – a realization that's already shifting common assumptions in European capitals toward a common defense, but much more needs to be done.
"The European Union as a whole, as a powerful organization, must be mentally prepared to fight for the security of our borders and our territory," he said. If Donald Trump recaptures the White House, financial and military support for Ukraine and, more broadly, NATO could greatly diminish or disappear altogether. As a result, Tusk said, "our job is to nurture transatlantic relations, regardless of who the U.S. president is."
