Russia could attack NATO countries in under a decade, German defence minister Boris Pistorius has warned.
“Our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible,” he told German outlet Der Tagesspiegel.
“We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day, so we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a NATO country one day.”
But it is unlikely “for now”, he added.
However, he said “one thing is certain – we are dealing with a military threat situation in Europe that has not existed for 30 years”.
Mr Pistorius said: “We see it through Russia’s attack on Ukraine. We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day – most recently against our friends in the Baltics.”
Asked whether the German government could do more to help Ukraine, Mr Pistorius said his country was the “second largest supporter of military aid after the USA, and therefore the largest in Europe”.
He added: “If Putin wins this war and occupies Ukraine, the danger for the alliance’s territory will of course also increase.”
Earlier (06.53), we reported that a NATO official is warning civilians in the West to prepare for conflict with Russia.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer said: “We have to realise it’s not a given that we are in peace.”
Next week, NATO will launch its largest military exercises in decades (08.35 post).
