Ukraine is prepared to continue fighting Russia for another two to three years, but fears the war could last decades, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned in his interview for The Times.

He said he has "no doubt that Ukraine will survive as an independent state." However, Kyiv is concerned about how long the country can sustain the war, both in terms of human losses and economic strain.

"Now the main question is how many victims we will see. President Zelensky told me [on Thursday] that he hopes that the war will not last ten years, but that Ukraine is ready to fight for another two, three years," Tusk stated.

Ukraine’s right to strike Russia-linked targets across Europe

Tusk also emphasized that Ukraine has the right to target Russian-linked objectives anywhere in Europe. He noted that the full-scale war is crippling Russia’s economy, which faces “dramatic” challenges amid new US sanctions on Russian oil companies.

Following the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, European leaders expressed hope that a decision on giving Ukraine access to frozen Russian assets could be reached by Christmas.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called for urgent action: “We have to go after Russia's money." According to the official, now that sanctions are working and it’s time to increase economic pressure to push Russian President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations.

Russia is willing to fight, the West still unprepared

Tusk highlighted that internal instability makes Putin even more aggressive, while the Trump administration’s tough stance on Moscow has yet to provide a clear picture.

He said that "the Russians are in really deep trouble" economically. 

“Does it mean we can say we are winning? Not at all. They have one big advantage against the West, and Europe especially: they are ready to fight … in wartime, this is absolutely the crucial question,” he emphasized.

Putin’s threat to NATO and European capitals is real 

Tusk warned that a Kremlin attack on a NATO country would also put the UK at risk. He expressed shock at the British public’s apparent indifference to national security, referencing a reported arson attack on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s home, likely orchestrated by Russian intelligence.

He added that Russia’s deployment of new “Oreshnik” hypersonic missiles in Belarus or Kaliningrad would allow Moscow to strike any European capital, including London, with a range of up to 3,200 km.

“We are talking about the end of the era of illusions in Europe — too late, I’m afraid. Too late to be well prepared for all the threats, but not too late to survive,” Tusk added.