German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has claimed that Russia could try to invade NATO territory in the coming years to test the Alliance’s unity. Thus, he has highlighted the importance of NATO’s preparation for this scenario, as reported by the media. .
“If we ignore the threat simply because it makes us uncomfortable, it will not diminish but grow,” Pistorius has said. “At the moment a Russian attack on NATO is not expected,” he added.
However, he stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put the country’s economy on a war footing, allowing Russia to produce more weapons and ammunition in a few months than all the countries of the European Union (EU) combined in a year.
“By 2029 or 2030, Putin could strengthen his military to the point where Russia is capable of attacking NATO,” he highlighted. And he warned: “We must be prepared for the possibility that in the coming years Putin will try to test NATO unity by invading a section of the Alliance’s territory.”
In December 2023, the German media Bild reported, citing sources in the intelligence services of a European country, that Russia could try to attack Europe in late 2024 or early 2025, during a possible leadership transition in the United States, which could delay American assistance to European states.
In January 2024, Pistorius stated that Europe is once again facing “a military threat not seen in 30 years” and warned of the possibility of a Russian attack within five to eight years. In March, U.S. intelligence reported that Russia is not seeking direct military conflict with the United States and NATO but will instead continue asymmetric actions that, in its assessment, will avoid triggering a large-scale global conflict.
German intelligence, however, has indicated that Russia is preparing for a full-scale conflict with NATO and could attack at least part of the Alliance’s territory as early as 2026. Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces , Eirik Kristoffersen, said that NATO has two to three years to prepare for a possible confrontation with Russia.
