The US President Donald Trump made a surprising and sharp statement, announcing that according to him Russia has already attacked Ukraine's European allies and has continued to carry out similar attacks over the past five years. The American leader's comment was made in the Oval Office of the White House in response to a question from reporters whether he shared the serious concerns of the Polish leadership about potential Russian aggression against countries supporting Kiev.
“I think they have already attacked Ukrainian allies. They have been attacking Ukraine's allies for approximately five years. "I think everyone agrees with that," Trump said categorically.
The words of the American head of state come against the backdrop of greatly escalating tensions in Eastern Europe and increased reports of violations of the airspace of NATO countries by Russian drones and missiles.
Poland's warning about hybrid strikes
Trump's statement is a direct response to the words of the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who warned that the Kremlin was planning a series of intensive hybrid attacks with drones and missiles against countries providing logistical and military assistance to Ukraine. According to Warsaw's intelligence, Moscow may disguise these strikes as “incidents“ or “technical errors“ to test the resolve of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In the last few days alone, Poland has been forced to urgently raise its F-16 fighter jets on alert several times due to massive Russian bombing in the immediate vicinity of its border. In one case, a Russian drone hit a passenger train in Ukraine just two kilometers from Polish territory.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Donald Trump was quick to reassure Polish media by praising the new Polish president Karol Nawrocki. The Washington leader said that Nawrocki was doing a “fantastic job“ and keeps the situation under complete control, reminding that the two maintain an excellent personal relationship.
The Gray Zone of War: Sabotage and Cyberattacks in Europe
European leaders, including the French presidentEmmanuel Macron, also sounded the alarm that the nature of Russian aggression is changing and the intensity of Russian hybrid threats against EU countries has increased enormously. Military analysts explain that by referring to the “five-year attacks“, Trump is referring to the increased cases of sabotage, arson of military warehouses, massive cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and organized disinformation campaigns on the Old Continent, which technically do not cross the line of a full-scale conventional war.
Additional fuel to the fire was also poured by the US Department of Justice, which officially charged individuals associated with Russian intelligence with planning contract killings of pro-Ukrainian activists and politicians on American and European soil.
Sources: Reuters, Ukrinform, Associated Press