Tusk: Europe must spend 'big money' so 'no world power will dare raise a hand against it'
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on May 7 that Europe must spend "big money" in order to create a world in which "no power in the world will dare raise a hand against it."
Speaking at the European Economic Congress in the Polish city of Katowice, Tusk called on countries to increase defense spending and once again raised the idea of building a common European air defense system.
"Europe must be prepared in the next dozen or so months and the entire next five years for a situation in which no power in the world will dare raise a hand against it," he said, adding: "Big money will move the war away from Europe's borders for a long time, perhaps permanently."
Tusk said that a unified European air defense "must become a European project that will be a financial effort to build a dome over Europe."
Poland has so far committed 4.301 billion euros ($4.578 billion) in support to Ukraine, 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of which is military aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Elsewhere on May 7, bugging devices were found in a room that the Polish Council of Ministers were scheduled to meet in, said Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for the Polish security service.
Over the last few months, authorities have arrested numerous individuals accused of spying on behalf of Russia inside Poland, Germany, Estonia, and Austria, raising questions about the extent of Russian intelligence activity inside Europe.
Poland is a key conduit for Western military equipment to reach Ukraine, and authorities have previously identified Russian spy networks attempting to disrupt the flow of military aid.
Dobrzynski said that the devices had been found and dismantled in a meeting room in Katowice.
The incident is still under investigation, he added.
Chris York
