Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Russia could not use its military forces to launch a large-scale attack against NATO because of the war in Ukraine.
Sikorski’s assessment came after Poland said last week that it had received information from various sources indicating that Russia was “preparing something big” this year. Responding to a question about what Russia was preparing, he said only Russian President Vladimir Putin could know the answer.
The Polish foreign minister said NATO needed to remain prepared, avoid allowing itself to be manipulated and be able to respond quickly to provocations as an alliance.
Sikorski said Russia could create disputes among the allies through a smaller-scale operation. He said such a development could put European and U.S. allies at odds over whether NATO’s Article 5, which provides for collective defense, should be invoked.
Sikorski also said Moscow could continue its ongoing activities in a more aggressive manner. Western governments accuse Russia of carrying out sabotage operations and violating airspace as part of a hybrid war campaign targeting NATO and European Union countries.