"Europe is not taking the threat from Russia seriously enough," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He stressed that Berlin is within range of Russian missiles located in the Kaliningrad exclave.
Sikorsky's comments were the latest in a series of warnings from Western officials about the danger of a potential war with Russia.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian military in Ukraine, NATO military forces have increased their capacity and readiness. Although the prospect of the war escalating into an all-out clash between the alliance and Russia has so far been averted, there are concerns that the West has not truly accepted that it could still happen.
Lieutenant General Alexander Solfrank, commander of NATO's military logistics center in Germany, said the alliance must be prepared for the possibility of Russian missile strikes in Europe in the event of an all-out war. He warned that Germany was likely to be one of the potential targets.
"Putin threatened Poland, Latvia and Finland. When he threatens a country, he means it. Too often we haven't taken it seriously," Sikorsky said.
"Nuclear weapons near Kaliningrad, Iskander missiles, can reach Berlin. I have always been surprised that this is not a topic in Germany," added the head of Polish diplomacy.
Sikorsky points out that the combined economic power of the West is 20 times greater than that of Russia, yet Russia has an advantage in munitions production.
"We must mobilize our forces," he urged.
"If the Americans stop their aid, we will be faced with a serious dilemma: either replace America, i.e. redouble our efforts, or allow Putin to conquer Ukraine," added Sikorsky.
With US aid bogged down in domestic political disputes largely unrelated to Ukraine, there are fears that continued US support at the level of 2022 and 2023 is no longer a given.
Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner in the Republican primary and a likely presidential candidate, has refused to commit to long-term US support for Ukraine if elected.
Instead, he said his main goal would be to secure a peace treaty within 24 hours. Trump has not disclosed the potential parameters of such an agreement, but it will probably be under unfavorable conditions for Ukraine./BGNES
