Russia may attack NATO within next four years - German defense chief
The opinion was expressed by German Defense Minister Carsten Breuer, who spoke with the BBC, Ukrinform reports.
Breuer said that Russia produced four million 152-mm artillery shells in 2024, and not all of them went to the war against Ukraine. According to him, Russia annually produces 1,500 battle tanks, many of which could be used to attack the Baltic NATO Allies by 2029 or even earlier.
“Not every single tank is going to [the war in] Ukraine, but it's also going in stocks and into new military structures always facing the West,” he noted.
The minister added that Russia is building up its forces to an “enormous extent” and that NATO is facing a “very serious threat” from Russia that he has never seen before in his 40 years in service.
“This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight,” he noted.
According to Breuer, there is “intent” and a “buildup of the stocks” for a possible future attack on the Baltic states. The minister named the so-called Suwalki Gap, an area bordering Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Belarus, among the most vulnerable areas.
“The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this... in the talks we are having over there,” he added.
The Estonians, he said, had given the analogy of being close to a wildfire where they "feel the heat, see the flames and smell the smoke", while in Germany "you probably see a little bit of smoke over the horizon and not more".
Breuer said this reflected the different views of European states on the threat of a possible Russian attack.
He added that NATO remains united on the war in Ukraine, despite recent differences of opinion expressed by Hungary and Slovakia.
“I've never seen such a unity like it is now. All of them understand the threat that is at the moment approaching NATO, all understand that we have to develop a direction of deterrence, into the direction of collective defense. This is clear to everyone. The urgency is seen,” the German general noted.
According to him, the Russian view of the war in Ukraine differs from the Western one as Moscow sees the war as a “continuum” in a larger conflict with NATO and therefore “trying to find ways into our defense lines and it's testing it.”
“What we have to do now is really to lean in and to tell everybody, hey, ramp up... get more into it because we need it. We need it to be able to defend ourselves,’” Breuer added.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Vladimir Putin must understand that NATO’s response to attempts to attack any Ally would be devastating.
Photo: DPA
