Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, warned that the coming autumn and winter could prove decisive not only for Ukraine’s independence but also for Europe’s security, as renewed Russian attacks intensified pressure on Kyiv and its western allies.
Speaking at Westerplatte on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, Tusk said the West could not afford to repeat the failures of the past by allowing aggression to go unanswered.
According to Polsat News, the Polish prime minister argued that the “entire free world” must unite behind Ukraine as the conflict enters what he described as a potentially critical period.
“We must say this out loud. The coming months, this autumn and the winter ahead, may be decisive not only for Ukraine’s independence, but also for us,” the politician stressed.
Tusk said the survival of Ukraine was directly linked to the security of Poland and the wider world, arguing that Kyiv’s allies needed to act now rather than wait for a further deterioration in the conflict.
The Polish prime minister drew parallels with the events of 1939, when Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were responsible for triggering the conflict that became the Second World War.
“There is no ambiguity here. It was, is, and will remain obvious to every decent person, regardless of where they were born or what nationality they are,” the head of the Polish government said.
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Tusk argued that the central lesson of that period was that democratic states must be prepared to defend themselves, strengthen their own capabilities and build effective alliances rather than rely on the assumption that others would act on their behalf.
He said Russia had once again emerged as a brutal aggressor and warned that, 87 years after the start of the Second World War, “evil is lurking nearby again”.
The fate of Europe, he argued, would depend heavily on the outcome of the war in Ukraine.
Tusk has previously warned that Russia could be preparing for a further escalation and said the next six months could prove decisive for regional security. He has argued that NATO and its member states cannot rule out further Russian provocations.
His intervention came as Ukraine faced a fresh wave of Russian drone and missile attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv and several other regions coming under sustained pressure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attacks, which coincided with the start of the school year, and accused Russia of showing a disregard for even the most basic humanitarian boundaries.
“The Russians are just completely f******* up. September 1, children. Even among any enemies, there is an understanding that children are children. But the Russians are making children participants in the war,” he said.
The Ukrainian president said Moscow would continue such attacks until it was confronted more forcefully.
Zelenskyy also expressed frustration with what he described as an inadequate response from Ukraine’s international partners.
“For the past two weeks, the whole world, Europe and the world that are helping us, have been on vacation. And it leaves a very unpleasant aftertaste. I cannot help but share it… this feeling, you know… of ‘diplomacy according to schedule.’ In other words, when it’s vacation, it’s vacation,” Zelensky said.
The latest Russian assault damaged residential buildings and infrastructure across Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Five districts of the capital — Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi, Dniprovskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi — were reported to have suffered damage.
The highest number of casualties was recorded in the Darnytskyi district, where seven people were killed. In the Solomianskyi district, a drone struck and partially destroyed a residential building.
Odesa and the surrounding region also came under attack, while Russian forces were reported to have targeted energy infrastructure and launched strikes against the Sumy, Dnipro and other regions.
The attacks underline the urgency behind Tusk’s warning. For Poland and other states on NATO’s eastern flank, the approaching winter is increasingly being viewed not simply as another phase of the war but as a test of whether western governments can sustain their political, military and economic support for Ukraine.
As Tusk’s remarks made clear, Warsaw sees the stakes as extending well beyond Kyiv. The question facing Ukraine’s allies, he suggested, is whether they are prepared to draw on the lessons of Europe’s past before the costs of inaction become still greater.
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