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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned over the weekend that Russia’s war against Ukraine is not slowing down but escalating, cautioning that the conflict threatens to spread further into Europe. Writing in a social media post Saturday after a call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Tusk said the escalation from Russia’s side is progressing and that the next six months will be decisive for Poland and the alliance. NATO has told European leaders that Russia’s incursions and provocations against alliance members increasingly resemble an escalation of Moscow’s war.
Tusk’s comments followed the deadliest Russian attack on Ukraine this year, a Friday night strike on the village of Myla near Kyiv that killed at least 38 people, according to the Associated Press. Russia has sharply intensified its air campaign in recent weeks, with air raid sirens, explosions and air defense fire becoming more frequent and straining Ukraine’s defenses, including through daytime attacks on Kyiv that had previously been rare. Rutte has described Russia’s actions along NATO’s eastern flank as a slowly intensifying campaign of hybrid attacks meant to interfere with democratic allies.
Ukraine also signaled a possible new front, with Pavlo Palisa, deputy chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying Friday that Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to prepare for operations that could extend to the Belarusian border. The warning came as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Putin over the weekend to discuss regional and security matters, according to Lukashenko’s office.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country had moved further into the crosshairs of hybrid attackers after investigators linked an explosive drone found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig airport to a foiled Russian sabotage plot, vowing that those responsible would pay. A Congressional Research Service report released Aug. 11 found Russian-linked hybrid attacks across Europe increasing in number and severity, with incidents aimed at undermining support for Ukraine quadrupling between 2023 and 2024. Lithuania has deployed an air defense system to protect Vilnius.
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a successful test of a mobile-based intercontinental ballistic missile Friday, hours after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed escalation talk while acknowledging peace negotiations are on a “deep pause.” The developments follow a surprise trip by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Russia, where he reportedly proposed a trilateral summit among President Trump, Putin and Zelensky. Trump said Wednesday that his administration is working hard to end the war.
Read more: Ukraine war threatens to become regional conflict, European leaders warn
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