Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk believes that all statements of Russian President Vladimir Putin should be perceived as his real intentions. 

"Not just the aggressive rhetoric, but also the decisions that Putin announced – to increase Russia's self-sufficiency, put the economy on military rails, modernise the army – all this should be taken seriously," Tusk said, commenting on the statements of the Russian leader in an address to the Federal Assembl, as reported by Onet.

"Europe must understand that the 'arms race' that Russia is imposing on the world obliges the West to wake up and prepare militarily for potential threats. The EU must make decisions that balance Russia's military potential and make Europe better prepared for bad scenarios," Donald Tusk added.

On 29 February, Putin addressed the Federal Assembly, where he spoke, among other things, about the "full readiness" of Russian nuclear forces and threatened NATO countries with consequences if they send their troops to Ukraine. At the same time, he called the fears that Russia would attack European countries "nonsense".