Polish official says Russia lacks strength for NATO attack

Poland's deputy prime minister said Russia lacks the strength to launch an attack on Poland or other NATO members. He added that his country has changed laws to speed construction of shelters and will defend every inch of NATO territory if needed. The deputy prime minister told CBS News he would not rule out Russia staging a false flag operation within the next two years to create a pretext for striking a NATO state.

He said officials must communicate to Russian leadership that such an action would be unacceptable.

The deputy prime minister said Ukraine has won control of the Black Sea and gained fire control over a strategic highway from Donbas to Crimea. Ukrainian forces have retaken more than 230 square miles of territory this year, according to Ukraine's top general.

He noted that Russia no longer has air domination over Ukraine and that the ground war remains stuck. Attacks on energy infrastructure forced Russian authorities to cut off gas sales to civilians in Crimea last week.

Poland continues to serve as the main route for foreign military supplies to Ukraine, with estimates indicating 90 percent of such aid crosses the Poland-Ukraine border. Relations between the two countries have been strained by a Ukrainian decision to rename a military unit after a World War II-era militia linked to the 1943 Volhynia massacre.

The deputy prime minister said the two nations must set aside the dispute to focus on their common adversary. He stated any future talks should occur directly between Russia and Ukraine without third-party mediation. Russia's foreign minister said this week that Moscow is ready to talk with Kyiv.

The deputy prime minister said he believes direct negotiations are preferable because the two sides already handle exchanges of fallen soldiers and prisoners of war.