Germany: Putin may attack NATO before the end of the decade

 

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Germany: Putin may attack NATO before the end of the decade  

 

Peter Schwartz  

 

Updated 00.19 | Published 00.05  

 

The German defense minister believes that Putin may attack a NATO country before the end of the decade.  

 

An attack could be possible within five to eight years, according to the Defense Minister's experts.  

 

- We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day, says Boris Pistorius to the German Der Tagesspiegel.   

 

The statement came on Friday morning in the German Der Tagesspiegel. Although Defense Minister Boris Pistorius does not believe that an attack is likely in this particular situation now, he believes that a possible attack could occur before the end of the decade.  

 

- We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day. So we have to take into account that Putin could attack a NATO country one day, he told Der Tagesspiegel on Friday.

 

- Our experts believe that an attack could be likely within five to eight years, he continues. 

 

 Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister. Photo: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP  

  

"Most dangerous world situation in decades"  

 

A complicated defense situation prevails in Europe. In just over a week, the largest NATO exercise since the Cold War begins. 90 000 soldaters from 31 member states, including 4,500 from Sweden, will participate in the exercise "Steadfast Defender 2024", which will take place during the spring and is a "simulated conflict scenario against a nearby opponent". 

 

At the same time, the Russian tone towards the Baltics has been raised when Putin claimed on Tuesday that Latvia and other Baltic states are "throwing out" Russians, according to the ISW think tank. 

 

Since Russia's invasion, Latvia has increased the requirements for citizenship with, among other things, stricter requirements for language skills. The Latvian Migration Agency said in December that it will deport about 1,200 Russians who have not registered for new citizenship, according to ISW. 

 

- What is happening in Latvia and other Baltic countries right now is very serious and affects our country's security, Putin says according to the expert group ISW's report. 

 

In ISW's report from January 16, the think tank writes that no signs of a likely or imminent Russian attack have been seen. But that through Putin's statement about Russia's right to "protect fellow citizens" possibly creating the conditions for future aggression under the pretext of "protecting Russians".  

 

Vladimir Putin. Photo: Alexei Danichev / AP  

  

The Baltic countries strengthen the border  

 

The Baltic countries respond by creating a joint defense zone against Belarus and Russia. The Estonian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that the countries signed an agreement in Riga to jointly strengthen the eastern border with Belarus and Russia. 

 

"Russia's war in Ukraine has shown that in addition to equipment, ammunition and soldiers, we also need physical defense facilities on the border to defend Estonia from the first meter," writes Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur in the press release. 

 

"We do it so that esters can feel safe, but if there is the slightest risk, we will be ready for various developments faster," he continues.  

 

The defense tops warn 

 

And during the week, several European defense chiefs have warned of Russian unpredictability.  

 

Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, head of NATO's military committee, urged NATO countries to "expect the unexpected". - The tectonic plates of power are shifting. We are therefore in the most dangerous world situation in decades, he said at a military summit in Brussels on Wednesday.  

 

 

Jens Stoltenberg NATO Secretary General. Photo: Magnus Sandberg  

 

"Russia defies all logic"  

 

In a television interview earlier this week, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed concern about the Russian threat.  

 

- Russia defies all logic. What happened in 2022 seemed impossible. We have to prepare for all scenarios, he said earlier in the week.  

 

The concerns were also shared by Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrelius Landsbergis at the World Economic Forum in Davos. 

 

- There is a risk that Russia will not only stick to Ukraine. No possible scenario in this could end well in Europe if Ukraine does not win, he told AFP.  

 

US Marine Corps soldiers trained together with Swedish amphibious units in the Stockholm archipelago last September.  

 

 

 

US Marine Corps soldiers trained together with Swedish amphibious units in the Stockholm archipelago last September.  

1 / 2Photo: Magnus Sandberg  

 

Medvedev: "Aren't Swedes idiots?"  

 

In the interview with Der Tagesspiegel, Defense Minister Pistorius took the opportunity to comment on last week's warnings from Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M) that the war could come to Sweden. 

 

 - They are understandable from a Scandinavian perspective, he says. 

 

Due to Sweden's geographical proximity to Russia, we are in a "more serious situation" than the other Scandinavian countries, he elaborated. - But we also have to learn to live with danger and prepare ourselves. Military, social and in terms of civil defence, says Pistorius.  

 

But according to the vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, the latest warnings that "there could be war in Sweden" are an invitation to conflict. 

 

"The Swedes used to live happily outside NATO. Then they decided to join the alliance to protect themselves from the aggressive Russians. And now their government is calling for war before they have joined NATO. Isn't that stupid?", ex-president Medvedev writes on X.