August M
A senior Polish official has issued a stark warning about the risk of a large-scale conflict in Europe, urging the country to brace for the possibility of war.
The comments come amid continued fighting in Ukraine and growing unease across NATO’s eastern flank, reports The Express.
‘Prepare for war’
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the Sejm, the country’s parliament, that the nation must be ready for a war “of the scale that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers saw.”
According to The Express, Sikorski argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a serious and ongoing threat to regional stability.
“Putin doesn’t want peace, only surrender. If Ukraine were to be defeated, the threat from Russia would not only not decrease, but on the contrary, increase,” he said.
He warned that if Moscow’s aggression goes unchecked, Europe could face a conflict comparable in magnitude to the First and Second World Wars.
Frontline concerns
Sikorski stressed that Poland’s geographic position leaves it particularly exposed. The country borders both Ukraine and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, placing it on NATO’s eastern edge.
He told lawmakers that Poland cannot allow itself to become “paralysed” or comforted by the belief that the war in Ukraine is “not its war.”
Drawing on his experience as a former British citizen, Sikorski said awareness of danger can either immobilize a society or push it to act decisively.
Hybrid threats rising
The foreign minister also pointed to what he described as mounting hostile actions below the threshold of open warfare.
He said Russia has tested regional defenses through drone incursions, railway sabotage and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Western intelligence agencies have voiced similar concerns, Sikorski noted, adding that any direct aggression against NATO’s eastern members would come at a high cost.
Sources: The Express
