Poland's PM Warns NATO Must Brace for All Scenarios as War Risk Grows

(MENAFN) Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sounded an urgent alarm Wednesday, calling on NATO and EU member states to ready themselves for every possible contingency as the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war stretches deeper into Eastern Europe.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Warsaw alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, Tusk highlighted the sharply deteriorating security landscape in the region and stressed the need for collective preparedness, according to Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet.

Tusk announced that Poland would move to further bolster its military capabilities and deepen regional defense ties, with particular emphasis on partnerships with Baltic and Scandinavian nations. He also reaffirmed Warsaw's commitment to working with Budapest on reducing energy dependency through supply diversification.

On Ukraine's future in Europe, Tusk backed Kyiv's bid to join the EU — but with conditions. He made clear that Ukraine must satisfy the same rigorous accession criteria that previous applicant states were required to meet before entry.

Magyar struck a notably different tone on several fronts. The Hungarian leader voiced strong support for bringing the war to an early close and raised the contentious issue of the Hungarian ethnic minority living in Ukraine's Transcarpathia region — a pressure point that has long strained Budapest-Kyiv relations.

Magyar drew a direct link between minority rights and Ukraine's EU path forward, stating that Hungary would only back the next phase of Kyiv's accession negotiations if tangible progress was achieved on protections for the Hungarian community. He added that resolving the matter ahead of the opening of formal negotiation chapters would serve as a powerful signal of goodwill from Kyiv.

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