Poland’s Donald Tusk says it feels like 1939 again in Europe

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Donald Tusk warns that Europe is in a “pre-war era” reminiscent of 1939, and no one will feel safe if Ukraine loses to Russia.

“For the first time since 1945, war in Europe is becoming ‘real’ again,” he said.

Tusk, a former president of the European Council and recently elected prime minister of Poland, said President Vladimir Putin was escalating the war against Ukraine by attacking Kiev with a hypersonic missile in daylight for the first time earlier this week.

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“We haven’t seen a situation like this since 1945,” he said in a series of interviews, including with newspapers. La Repubblica and Wert am SonntagIn it, he directly appealed to European leaders to do more to strengthen their defenses.

“We are in a pre-war era. And if Ukraine loses to Russia, no one in Europe will feel safe.”

His remarks came as Russia launched a barrage of strikes with around 100 drones and missiles across Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said air raid sirens were sounded across the country and 10 regions were under shelling.

Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukraine in recent days, firing several missile barrages at the capital Kiev and attacking energy infrastructure across the country in apparent retaliation for recent Ukrainian airstrikes on the Russian border region of Belgorod. is attacking. However, such sporadic attacks have been frequent throughout the war.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has already experienced widespread power outages, with 700,000 people without power after a drone and missile attack on the city’s thermal power plant on March 22nd.

Last winter, Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, causing frequent power outages. Ukraine and many in the West expected Russia to repeat the same strategy this winter, initially focusing its attacks on Ukraine’s defense industry.

Meanwhile, the Italian Air Force said on Friday that it had intercepted an unidentified aircraft flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea, which two defense sources in Rome identified as a Russian aircraft.

The two interceptions were carried out by Italian Eurofighter jets from Malbork base in Poland on Thursday and Friday morning as part of a NATO mission, the statement said.

The Italian fighter jets returned to their base in Poland after completing their mission. Two defense sources said the Russian plane was spotted on radar but did not respond to radio signals or communication requests.