Tusk will meet Czech, Hungarian and Slovak premiers Petr Fiala, Viktor Orban and Robert Fico in Prague on Tuesday at a meeting in the so-called Visegrad group.
Support for Ukraine has sown division among the four-nation group of Central European nations -- all NATO and European Union members -- as Orban and Fico have criticised military support for Ukraine.
Orban blocked a 50 billion euro EU aid package for months while Fico has refused to provide military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, questioning its sovereignty and calling for peace with Russia.
"If you are a NATO and EU member, by definition and by the very nature of this membership you have to support Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion," Tusk told reporters.
"If someone fails to understand this, and I will say this openly in Prague tomorrow, they place themselves ... outside our communities, and there is no compromise to be made on this," he told reporters.
Tusk said he would say this to Orban "in the eyes" when they meet in Prague, and added he was "stunned" by Fico's recent statements on Ukraine.
"It won't be a pleasant or simple encounter," Tusk said after meeting Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in Warsaw.
Tusk added that the meeting would be a "test" of the Visegrad group.
He said that upon his return home, he would say "openly" if the four-country club still has a reason to exist.
The Visegrad group was founded in 1991, two years after the four countries had ended four decades of Soviet-led communist rule.
Given the historic experience with Moscow-led communist rule, "it is a paradox that Budapest and Bratislava send out these ambiguous signals concerning (President Vladimir) Putin and Russia these days", added Tusk.
Macron doesn't exclude sending troops to Ukraine, announces missile coalition
Paris (AFP) Feb 26, 2024 - French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that a new coalition would be created to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles and munitions, adding that not even the sending of Western ground troops to fight the Russian invasion should be ruled out.
"There is no consensus today to send ground troops... but nothing should be excluded. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that Russia cannot win this war," Macron said after a meeting of European leaders in Paris.
He said the new coalition would be set up to supply "missiles and bombs of medium and long range" to Ukraine and added: "We are convinced that the defeat of Russia is indispensible to security and stability in Europe."
Slovak PM claims EU, NATO states mulling sending troops to Ukraine
Bratislava (AFP) Feb 26, 2024 -
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico claimed on Monday that some EU and NATO member states are considering sending troops to Ukraine.
Since he was elected last October, Fico has made a string of remarks that have soured ties between Slovakia and neighbouring Ukraine.
"Several NATO and EU member states are considering sending their soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis," Fico told reporters after a government meeting.
He did not provide any source for his remarks, saying he was not authorised to go into details.
He spoke ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Paris, organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine.
Fico described the gathering as a "combat meeting".
"We see huge security risks in the bilateral agreements that are likely to be conducted soon with NATO and EU member states that want to send their troops to Ukraine," he said.
He added that such a decision would lead to "an enormous escalation of tension."
Fico has previously questioned Ukraine's sovereignty and called for a compromise with Russia.
The day after he was sworn into office in October, Fico announced a halt to all Slovakian military aid to Ukraine.
"The EU should change from an arms supplier to a peacemaker," he said.
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