Duda pushes back on Russian threats
Polish President Andrzej Duda has responded to threats made by Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergey Naryshkin, emphasizing that NATO is a strictly defensive alliance that responds to Russia’s aggressive actions, PAP reported on April 15.
“This is classic Soviet-style propaganda,” Duda said, according to Poland’s state news agency PAP on April 15. “It’s Russia that’s moving its nuclear weapons into Belarus, bringing them dangerously close to NATO and EU borders. Russia is acting aggressively toward NATO and continues to pursue its brutal, bloody imperialism, having attacked Ukraine three years ago.”
Duda emphasized that NATO has never attacked any country and does not seek confrontation, calling instead for calm and a steady political course.
“Everything NATO does is a response to Russian aggression,” he said. “NATO has never attacked anyone. It exists to provide security — nothing more.”
Naryshkin had earlier claimed that Poland and the Baltic states would be the “first to suffer” in the event of a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
Background: Is a Russian attack on NATO possible?
Western intelligence agencies and media outlets have increasingly warned about the possibility of a Russian attack on NATO territory, possibly as soon as 2025.
German analysts have said an invasion could come by 2026 or later, while U.S. intelligence believes Russia will continue its hybrid tactics — cyberattacks, disinformation, and sabotage — rather than risk open conflict with the West.
In December 2024, Finnish outlet Iltalehti reported that Russia was rehearsing potential assaults on Finland, the Baltic states, and even Norway.
On Jan. 10, 2025, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that his country must prepare for “any scenario,” including a direct Russian attack.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also noted in January that Moscow could test NATO defenses between 2029 and 2030. He stressed the need to bolster the alliance’s military readiness before then.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski recently said that although Russia’s military is currently tied up in Ukraine, it is essential to prepare for renewed aggression by the end of the decade.
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