Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there are signs that Russia is seriously preparing for an escalation, and that the next seven to eight months could be critical for the security of Ukraine, Poland and the entire region, European Pravda reports.
The Polish prime minister was asked, in particular, about the recent visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow. In response, Tusk said Poland was in constant contact with the CIA leadership and had not been caught off guard by information about Ratcliffe’s activities.
"We are in constant contact with the CIA leadership, so we are not surprised by any information about the actions and measures being taken by the CIA director," the Polish prime minister said.
According to Tusk, some information must remain confidential when it comes to security issues, but this does not mean that society should be deprived of information about the most important threats.
He said that the issue now concerns more than just the CIA director’s visit to Moscow.
According to him, numerous public signals of Russia’s preparations for escalation have emerged in recent weeks.
"It is known that Russia is preparing very seriously for an escalation of tensions – both in the war with Ukraine and throughout the region, and that this fall and winter should be key for Russia," Tusk said.
According to media reports, during his visit to Moscow, Ratcliffe warned Russian officials not to escalate the conflict with U.S. NATO allies, in particular Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
On Wednesday morning, in a radio interview, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the suggestion that Ratcliffe had made the trip to persuade Putin not to test NATO’s resolve.
The Kremlin said that the CIA chief’s visit was related to contacts between Russian and U.S. intelligence services.
