Polish Prime Minister Says Ukraine War Is Slowly Spreading Across Europe, With the Next Six Months Critical

[Financial News]  Warnings have emerged that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not slowing down, but intensifying, and that there is a risk the war could spread across the European continent.
According to The Washington Times on the 30th local time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on social media after a weekend call with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte that "Russia's war escalation is under way, and the next six months will be a decisive period for Poland and the entire NATO alliance." He also warned European leaders that Russia's incursions and provocations against allied countries amount to a direct expansion of the war.
The warning came after Russia carried out its deadliest missile strike of the year on the village of Mila near Kyiv, Ukraine. At least 38 people were killed in the attack. Russia has recently stepped up the intensity of its air assaults, including a surge in weekly strikes on Kyiv, putting pressure on Ukraine's air defense network. NATO Secretary-General Rutte described Russia's offensive aimed at the alliance's eastern border as a "hybrid attack" designed to destabilize democratic allies.
There are also growing concerns that the front line could expand toward the border area with the Republic of Belarus. Pavlo Palisa, deputy chief of staff at the Office of the President of Ukraine, claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered preparations for military operations extending to the border with Belarus. In fact, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with Putin over the weekend to discuss security issues.
European countries are also mounting a stronger response to Russia's hybrid provocations.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would make Russia pay a heavy price after it was confirmed that a drone carrying explosives found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport was part of a Russian operation. He said, "Germany has become the target of a hybrid attack."
The Republic of Lithuania has deployed air defense systems in its capital, Vilnius, in response to the Russian threat.
A report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the U.S. Congress found that the number of Russia-linked hybrid attacks in Europe quadrupled between 2023 and 2024.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that peace talks are in a "deep freeze," but drew the line at claims of a wider war. Hours later, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that it had successfully test-fired a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the 28th. 
Amid the escalating tensions, John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), reportedly made a surprise visit to Russia and proposed a trilateral summit involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said on the 26th that his administration was working on multiple fronts to end the war.


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