Europe, like Ukraine, is in a state of war waged against them by Russia, and it is necessary to awaken the European public so that it understands that this is a critical stage of this war, stated Head of the Warsaw Security Forum Katarzyna Pisarska at the European Forum Alpbach taking place this week.
Pisarska said during the session “Rethinking Europe’s Security Architecture” that Europe was at war with Russia. She noted that although Europeans did not want to admit it, Russia had very clearly recognized that it was at war with Europe.
She emphasized that that winter would decide whether Ukraine could stand on its feet in the spring when it was time for negotiations, or fail and be in a much weaker position. She added that many EU countries currently had a much weaker political situation in their countries, expressing her belief that the following six months were critical.
According to her, the war waged by Russia against the European Union is not a typical conventional war. It is a cyber war, a war of arson and state terror, with assassination attempts against CEOs of major German industrial companies, as well as a war on a psychological level.
Describing the situation, the Head of the Warsaw Security Forum stated that, unfortunately, many countries, including her own, were losing that war, pointing out that public Polish support for Ukraine had dropped over the previous year from 70% to 40%. She explained that while there were many different reasons—including politicians who had used and abused historical arguments and mistakes President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had made in relationships—looking at it rationally raised the question of how Poland could afford a major quarrel with another country fighting against Russia.
She noted that the Russians conducted these psychological operations slowly over 10 years, effectively penetrating the Polish information space and starting to use it when the right moment came.
Pisarska explained that the ultimate goal was, first, to drive the Americans out of Europe, and second, to have a divided and weak Europe.
According to her, it is precisely for this weakening of the European Union that Russia supports Eurosceptic parties and hopes to return the situation to the state prior to 1989, with its expanded sphere of interest and a de facto veto over Eastern European issues.
The expert described the danger by stating that if they were so divided and weak, then whatever Russia proposed at a certain point, there would always be a Donald Trump or someone who would suggest doing it over the heads of the Europeans.
She emphasized that such an attempt had already been made, and only thanks to a united Europe were Ukrainians able to withstand the incredible pressure exerted on them by Americans and Russians regarding concessions.
The Head of the Warsaw Security Forum concluded that although they had stepped in financially and politically, questions remained about whether that would hold through 2027 given upcoming elections in France, Italy, and her own country, Poland, the following October. She warned that they could wake up in a year in a completely different Europe, emphasizing that awakening a sense of urgency among the public and understanding that they were at a critical stage of the war was the most important requirement.
Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, who moderated the session, noted that he was not a fan of the term “hybrid war.”
He explained that, in his opinion, most people understood what a hybrid tool was, but they did not really know what a hybrid war meant. He noted that he thought it was misleading, suggesting instead that they should talk either about war or about state terror, which he believed would be easier for the average citizen to understand.