US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said in an interview with Fox Business Network that Russia is "testing" Europe's resolve and that European countries need to step up their response.
"The Russians are testing the Europeans and European resolve needs to step up. They need to put everything on the table in terms of economic sanctions. You know, as I told my European colleagues about two weeks ago, all I'm hearing from you is that Putin wants to invade Warsaw. But one thing I am certain of: Putin is not invading Boston.”
“He is not invading Boston,” Besent reiterated.
Besent praised Poland as a reliable ally, noting that the country spends 5% of its GDP on defense without external pressure. He highlighted Poland’s economic success since the end of the Cold War, noting that before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Polish and Ukrainian economies were equal in size, while today Poland is three times larger. According to him, if Ukraine had achieved similar growth, it could have financed its military efforts on its own and Russia probably would not have intervened.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk questioned US President Donald Trump’s claim that Ukraine, with the support of the EU and NATO, could regain all the territories occupied by Russia. In a post on social media, Tusk warned that behind Trump's words lies the intention to gradually reduce American participation in the war and shift responsibility to European countries.