Rutte: Russian attack near Polish border will not stop West from supporting Ukraine

NATO chief Mark Rutte has said Russia's drone attack on a passenger train near the Ukraine-Poland border will not deter Kiev's Western backers, calling it a sign of Vladimir Putin's desperation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that the Russian attack on a passenger train near Ukraine's border with Poland will not weaken Western support for Kiev, The Guardian reports, reports The Geopost.

According to Rutte, the attack shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to intimidate the West and undermine the unity of countries that support Ukraine.

"He thinks he can stop us from supporting Ukraine and that he can undermine our unity. He is wrong. Our answer is to increase support," Rutte said.

The attack occurred on Sunday, when a Russian drone hit a passenger train near the Ukraine-Poland border, shortly after a train carrying high-ranking diplomats and former European leaders had passed through the area.

According to Ukrainian Railways, the train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and several European security advisers, had departed prematurely and may have been the target of the Russian drone.

Another train, carrying former CIA director David Petraeus, was still at Yahodyn station when the attack occurred. Ukrainian Railways later clarified that Petraeus was on a different train from Johnson's.

"The aim is to frighten and divide Europeans"

The attack has sparked strong reactions from senior European officials, who have interpreted it as an attempt by Moscow to put pressure on Europe and weaken support for Ukraine.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the aim of the attacks is "to frighten Europeans, to discourage them and, above all, to divide them."

Even the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said the attack was "clearly a message to the Western world."

"We need to show that we are there for Ukraine and that we are not afraid, because otherwise Russia will simply achieve what it wants, which is the subjugation of Ukraine," Kallas said.

The EU has meanwhile reiterated its support for Ukraine's right to defend itself from Russian aggression, referring to the recent decision to approve a 6.1 billion euro tranche of the 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine.

Over 450 drones and missiles in Russian attacks

The attack on the train was part of a broad wave of Russian overnight attacks across Ukraine.

More than 450 Russian drones and missiles were used in the attacks, which left at least six people killed and more than 40 injured.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it had intercepted 405 drones and four missiles.

Western Ukraine, an area usually considered calmer compared to Kiev and the frontline areas in the east, was particularly hard hit.

The attacks also triggered airstrikes in Poland, raising concerns about the risk of the war spreading beyond Ukraine's borders.

Warsaw warns of escalation

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the intensification of Russian attacks in Ukraine in the coming weeks and months could also affect Polish territory.

"The coming weeks and months will be a period of very intense actions on the Russian side," Tusk said, adding that Poland "cannot rule out the possibility that this escalation will also affect our territory."

Tusk said that Polish security services and intelligence agencies of allied countries had warned in advance of the possibility of such an attack.

"We knew that the Russian plan would include an attempt to disrupt, paralyze and perhaps even destroy Ukrainian border crossings," he said.

Warsaw's warning comes at a time when NATO and European countries are facing a new security reality: Russian attacks are moving ever closer to the alliance's territory, while border infrastructure and corridors connecting Ukraine to Europe are taking on direct strategic importance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukrainians are fighting every day to prevent Russian attacks from spreading further into Europe.

In this context, the attack near the Polish border is seen by European leaders not only as an episode in the war in Ukraine, but also as a signal for the security of Europe itself.