Europe should listen to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
Russia and China pose the greatest security threats to Europe, yet the EU seeks closer trade ties with Beijing. Poland warns against trade dependency and turns the spotlight on Russia through the Epstein case.
February 9, 2026 | INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
China and Russia pose a threat
The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), the Intelligence Service, and the National Security Authority are crystal clear: Russia and China constitute the greatest security threats to Norway and Europe. Yet large parts of the EU behave as if this were merely a theoretical concern. Poland knows better.
For Warsaw, Russia is not an abstract risk, but a historical reality. When the EU today speaks warmly of closer economic ties with China, all alarm bells ring in Poland. China supports Russia politically and economically, and the more Europe makes itself dependent on Chinese minerals, technology, and industry, the weaker its ability becomes to stand up.
Polish experience
Poland’s skepticism is not ideological, it is based on experience. From 1945 to 1989, Poland lived under full political and economic domination by the Soviet Union through the Comecon trading system. The economy was steered according to Moscow’s needs, and trade was used as an effective tool of political control. After the fall of communism, the pressure continued: In the period 1990–2010, Polish dependence on Russian energy was repeatedly used as a political lever. For Poles, the connection between trade and power is not a theory from textbooks – it is national experience.
That is why Poland reacts strongly when the EU now risks repeating with China the same mistake that was made with Russia. Europe made itself energy dependent on Moscow – and paid the price when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Now a new strategic dependency is being built, this time on Beijing. From a Polish standpoint, this is nothing less than geopolitical short-sightedness.
Wants to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's Russia connection
It is also in this perspective that one must understand why Polish authorities wish to investigate whether Jeffrey Epstein may have had connections to Russia. So far there is no evidence of this, and theories have rather been raised that Epstein may have had connections to Israeli intelligence, including Mossad, read more here. The initiative can be interpreted as a political move by Donald Tusk to remind people that the threat comes from the east, not the west. Donald Tusk is in his second term as Prime Minister of Poland, after previously having led the country from 2007 to 2014 and then having served as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.
Norwegian naivety
In Norway, the threat assessments are met with far greater calm, despite sharing a border with Russia. An important explanation lies in the Labour Party’s long foreign policy tradition. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the party has had historical ties to a Western European labor movement in which the relationship with Russia was central. Even after the break with communism, the line of dialogue toward Moscow has been a fundamental premise of Norwegian politics. This legacy continues to shape Norwegian policy and can lead to serious consequences for Norway.
To Poland, this attitude appears naïve. They know what economic dependence on authoritarian regimes can lead to. That is why Warsaw is turning ever more clearly toward the United States as its most important security guarantor. If the EU continues to prioritize trade with China over strategic independence, Poland may increasingly choose bilateral solutions with Washington rather than an EU it perceives as short-sighted. This may apply to several countries in the EU, read more here.
The question is simple: Should Europe listen to its own security services – or to the business community’s need for cheap suppliers? The message from PST is unequivocal, and Poland has understood the seriousness of the situation. It remains to be seen whether Norway and the rest of the EU will do the same.
SOURCES
NRK
Intelligence chief says Norway is in a state of ongoing confrontationPST
National Threat Assessment 2026 from the Norwegian Police Security ServicePolitico
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk warns that the threat of global war is serious and realKyiv Post
Poland must be ready for increased threat from Russia, says Prime Minister TuskMunich Security Conference
Munich Security Report on global security threatsReuters
Poland to investigate possible links between Epstein and Russian intelligenceTVP
Munich report warns that Europe’s window to deter Russia is shrinking
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