Tusk slams Russian strikes on Kyiv, urges bolstered defenses

(MENAFN) Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday strongly criticized the latest Russian missile and drone assault on Kyiv, describing it as contrary to diplomatic expectations and emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen regional defenses.

“Contrary to President Trump’s expectations and despite Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s willingness to make concessions, Russia has once again brutally attacked residential areas of Kyiv,” Tusk said on social media, following the bombardment that Ukrainian authorities reported killed at least two civilians.

The strikes targeted both energy infrastructure and residential areas in the Ukrainian capital, while Ukrainian air defenses claimed to have intercepted over 500 airborne threats. The incident underscores Russia’s continued escalation in the ongoing conflict and comes as Poland intensifies efforts to secure its eastern frontier.

On the same day, Poland’s Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk stated that Warsaw will construct a new anti-drone defense system along its eastern border in response to the Russian attacks.

The initiative, part of a broader €2 billion (over $2.3 billion) investment, will integrate drone-jamming equipment, machine guns, and missile systems to counter unmanned aerial threats and protect border regions adjoining Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Tomczyk indicated that the system’s initial capabilities could be operational within six months, with full completion expected in two years. The project is set to be financed largely through the EU’s SAFE defense program alongside Poland’s national budget.

This effort supplements Poland’s long-term “Eastern Shield” defense strategy, reflecting growing concern over hybrid threats and potential spillover from the Ukraine conflict. Earlier this year, Russian drones briefly entered Polish airspace, prompting responses from Polish and NATO fighter jets.

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