Poland accuses Russia of planning global ‘air terror’ acts

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia on Wednesday of planning acts of “air terror” targeting airlines worldwide, marking a dramatic escalation in rhetoric against Moscow.

The claims came during a meeting in Warsaw with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, highlighting the deepening ties between the neighboring countries amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Tusk alleged that Russia’s plans extended beyond Poland to include global targets but declined to provide specifics.

“All I can say, and I will not go into details, but I can confirm the validity of these fears, is that Russia had planned acts of air terror, and not only against Poland, but against airlines all over the world,” Tusk said during a joint press conference.

Tusk did not make any connections of his “air terror” allegations to the Azerbaijani plane crash in Kazakhstan, which was hit by Russian missiles from a Russian territory.

Poland accelerating Ukraine’s EU path

As Poland currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, Tusk pledged to expedite Ukraine’s membership bid.

“The Polish presidency will break the impasse that has been evident in recent months,” he said, adding that Warsaw would work with Kyiv and European partners “to speed up the accession process as much as possible.”

Zelenskyy emphasized the geopolitical stakes of Ukraine’s integration into Western institutions.

“The sooner Ukraine is in the EU, the sooner Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, the more we interact, the sooner the whole of Europe will get the geopolitical certainty it needs,” he said.

The two leaders framed the fight against Russia’s aggression as a shared European cause, with Zelenskyy adding, “Russia will not pass where there is our integration, our common strength, our respect.”