Polish PM questions whether US is ‘loyal’ to Europe’s defence

Donald Tusk says EU should bolster its own Article 42.7 mutual defence clause

Poland’s prime minister questioned whether the US would be “loyal” to its Nato commitment to defend Europe in the event of a Russian attack, and urged the EU to become a “real alliance” in protecting the continent.

Donald Tusk told the FT that Europe’s “biggest, most important question is if the United States is ready to be as loyal as it is described in our [Nato] treaties,” as he warned that Russia could attack an alliance member in “months”.

The unusual intervention from a Polish leader reflects growing uncertainty in Europe after President Donald Trump’s threats and oscillating commitment to the continent’s defence.

“For the whole eastern flank, my neighbours . . . the question is if Nato is still an organisation ready, politically and also logistically, to react, for example against Russia if they try to attack,” he said.

Tusk noted that some members of the US-led defence alliance “pretend[ed] that nothing happened” when about 20 Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace last year.

Tusk stressed that his words should not be treated “as scepticism towards Article 5 [Nato’s mutual defence pledge], if it is valid or not, but rather as my dreams that guarantees on paper will change into something very practical.”

“This is something really serious. I’m talking about short-term perspectives, rather months than years,” Tusk said in reference to a potential Russian attack. “For us, it’s really important to know that everyone will treat the Nato obligations as seriously as Poland,” he said.

Poland is the biggest spender in Nato by GDP, already meeting the alliance’s 5 per cent target, and is one of Europe’s most staunchly pro-Nato and pro-transatlantic countries.

Tusk said he had “no complexes” about US-Polish ties. “Washington treats Poland as the best and the closest ally in Europe. But for me, the real problem is what it is in practice if something happens.”

“I want to believe that [Article 5] is still valid, but sometimes, of course, I have some problems,” he added. “I don’t want to be so pessimistic . . . but what we need today is also practical context.”

Tusk used the example of when about 20 Russian drones violated Polish airspace last year, and some Nato allies were reluctant to see it as an attack. The alliance in the end scrambled fighter jets that shot down some of the drones, in what was the first direct confrontation between Nato and Russian assets since 2022.

“I had some problems during the night in September when we had this pretty massive drone provocation made by the Russians,” Tusk recalled. “It wasn’t easy for me to convince our partners in Nato that it wasn’t a random incident, it was a well-planned and prepared provocation against Poland.”

“For some of our colleagues, it was much easier to pretend that nothing happened,” he said. “This is why I want to be, you know, certain that if something happened, that . . . Russia knows the reaction will be tough and unequivocal.”

Tusk’s warning comes as an EU summit is taking place in Cyprus including discussions about the bloc’s own mutual defence clause, Article 42.7 of the EU treaty, in response to Trump’s threats to withdraw from Nato and ambiguous language about honouring Article 5.

The EU has sought to take a larger role in defence in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including funding arms purchases, co-ordinating weapons production and corralling member states around joint defence infrastructure such as anti-drone capabilities.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this spring the bloc should bring Article 42.7 “to life”. But many countries remain wary of steps that could be seen as undermining Nato or questioning the US commitment to defend Europe — the bedrock of the continent’s security since the second world war.

The departure of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, opens the door for discussions on Article 42.7 and a larger role for the EU in defending the continent.

Tusk said that as long as Orbán was in office, there was no “direct connection with Budapest” on defence. The election of pro-EU conservative Péter Magyar would make Hungary “for sure a much better collaborator when it comes to defence and his approach to Russia”, Tusk said.

The Polish leader said the discussions on Article 42.7 were about defining practical ways countries would support each other in the event of attack.

“What you need if you want to have, not only on paper, a real alliance, is true tools and real power when it comes to defence instruments and mobility of militaries from country to country etc. It’s a very practical problem for today,” he said.

“This is why my obsession now and my mission is to reintegrate Europe,” Tusk added. “It means common defence . . . a common effort to protect our eastern borders.”

“Paradoxically, if you have some positive aspects of the Ukrainian war, this is one of them: Europe is more and more aware that we will be together in military aspects [and] defence,” he said.