“Now it’s very different because it’s a kind of massive provocation,” former Polish MEP Danuta Hübner told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
“Some people already say that it’s not just a provocation, but it’s just an effort and it’s an objective also. It’s an effort to maybe better recognise our capabilities to react.”
She believes that the Polish state is “passing a test” on its society’s ability not to overreact, and to remain calm.
“Some airports were closed, but they are all working now. So, actually now it’s just all calmed down. But we know that the military defence services, police forces and all those involved are just doing their job.”
Answering whether she thinks the incident was a deliberate attack on Polish territory, Ms Hübner maintained that it was an intentional analysis of Poland’s defensive capabilities by Moscow.
“I think we will just be exploring the whole thing, so we will know,” she said.
“But already now there are those speculations that it […] it’s a massive provocation or maybe more, maybe just kind of a recognition of our capabilities.”
Ms Hübner echoed predictions by Nato experts that war with Russia may be looming, and that this event evinces that.
“There are many comments by experts – NATO experts and not only NATO experts – that […] in two, three years, we can await that there might be a war.
“We live in pure time, as you say here. People take it seriously.”
Claiming that any reaction to the attack, military or otherwise, would be “too early”, Ms Hübner said: “Certainly, we act diplomatically now against Russia.”
Keith Kelly