Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk believes that the Warsaw court's rejection of Germany's extradition request for suspects in the "Nord Stream" pipeline explosion case means Ukraine has the right to attack any Russian target on European territory. He admitted that he feels a "bitter satisfaction" at the repeated fulfillment of the worst predictions made by Poland and the Baltic states about Russia's actions.
Speaking in an interview with the British newspaper The Times, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Ukraine has the right to strike targets related to Russia within Europe. The newspaper noted that these remarks were made after a Warsaw court rejected Germany's request to extradite a Ukrainian diver accused of involvement in the 2022 explosions of the "Nord Stream" and "Nord Stream 2" gas pipelines.
Tusk does not want to resume relations with Russia
Regarding Russia, Tusk also said that Poland's intelligence agencies "discover every week Moscow's sabotage activities," and that Russia's economy has "no chance of survival in the long run." He added that Britain should not have "pleasant illusions" that it could escape unscathed if a war breaks out between Russia and NATO. He admitted that he feels a "bitter satisfaction" at the repeated fulfillment of the worst predictions made by Poland and the Baltic states about Russia's actions.
The Times pointed out that eleven years ago, when Tusk became President of the European Council, European media had called him a "paranoid anti-Russian" for similar views. However, today, only "very bold commentators" would make such accusations against him.
"When I hear some European politicians say: 'We should start considering today how we will one day restore our relations with Russia,' I am too old and not naive — I know this means there are people in Europe who want to revive the 'Nord Stream 2' pipeline, do business with Russia, and get oil, gas, etc. For me, this always sounds like a warning signal," Donald Tusk said.
He did not name "certain European colleagues," but expressed dissatisfaction with their attempts to uphold a "sacred rule-based order," which he believes is disappearing.
"We are talking about the end of the era of European fantasies — unfortunately, it's already too late. It's too late to prepare for all threats, but it's not too late to survive. Politics has always been, is now, and will always be related to violence, who is stronger, borders and territories, and conflicts of interest," Tusk said.
The Times noted that this Polish prime minister believes his country's success and moral authority qualify it to seek a geopolitical leadership role: "Poland's way of thinking should become the way of thinking across Europe."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566059842985640500/
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