Russia planned "acts of air terror" against Poland and other countries, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw.
The Polish premier's statement came two days after the New York Times reported that the U.S. last year had sent an urgent warning to Moscow after American intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes to the U.S.
The message to the Russians was that if there is a mass casualty disaster in the air or on the ground, the U.S. will consider Russia as an accessory to terror.
Security officials have said that parcels which exploded at logistics depots in Europe were part of a test run for a Russian plot to trigger explosions on cargo flights to the United States. The explosions occurred in depots in Britain, Germany and Poland in July. Russia has denied involvement in the incidents and Tusk did not mention them specifically.
"I will not go into details, I can only confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of air terror, not only against Poland, but against airlines around the world," Tusk told a news conference. He did not say what acts he was referring to or elaborate on the contents of the information.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw and the Russian foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment on Tusk's statement.
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The Kremlin has dismissed previous Western claims that Russia sponsored acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe.
The pro-Western Polish government under Tusk has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia and has accused Moscow of promoting a hybrid war against Warsaw and others as revenge for their support of Kyiv. Poland claims that Russia and its ally Belarus are working to intensify the migrant crisis on the EU's eastern borders hoping to spread division in the union.
According to the New York Times, the White House's warning did reach Putin, and administration officials say it has had its effect, with the wave of package detonations in Europe currently halted. However, it is unclear whether Putin has ordered a halt to the operation and for how long. Officials also told the newspaper that Russia may be using the time to build better explosive devices that will be easier to evade detection during testing.