Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
He also warned that Ukraine can become a “forever war”, until something changes in Russia.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has looked back at nearly two decades of dealing with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin.
And according to Tusk, Putin is a very simple and ordinary person, even claiming that conversations with the Russian leader are in no way interesting.
In his interview, Tusk offered a blunt assessment of Vladimir Putin, describing the Russian leader as unremarkable and fixated on power — a view shaped by nearly twenty years of encounters.
In fact, Putin’s way of thinking can be summed up in just two questions, Tusk told the paper:
“It’s always about who has more power and who is ready to use the power against each other.”
Agreement with Putin won’t be worth anything
Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Tusk stated that any agreement with Putin, be it for peace or a ceasefire, will be worth less than the paper, it will be signed on.
In fact, Tusk said in his interview, that he fears the war in Ukraine can become a “permanent forever war”, unless something dratically changes in Russia.
He did not specify what needs to change, but it is being interpreted as a jab at Putin.
Lessons from the past
Reflecting on nearly two decades of interactions with Putin, Tusk recalled how several Western leaders had misjudged the Russian president’s character.
Among them, he mentioned former US President George W. Bush, who once said he saw Putin’s “straightforward and trustworthy” soul, and Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who called him a “flawless democrat.”
For Tusk, such assessments illustrate the West’s historic underestimation of Moscow’s ambitions.
His message now is clear: Europe must not repeat those mistakes.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation
