German Defense Minister has warned that Vladimir Putin could attack NATO within five to eight years. This comes on the heels of an approved plan by the Baltic nations to build defenses along their borders with Russia and Belarus, said The Telegraph.
A German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) soldier looks at an IRIS-T System attached above the tank of a German ECR Tornado aircraft at the military air base in Jagel, southern Germany, during the Air Defender Exercise 2023 on June 16, 2023. The Air Defender 2023 is a multinational air operation exercise including some 220 military aircraft from 25 NATO and partner countries in European airspace under the command of the German Air Force taking place from June 12 to June 24, 2023. The exercise will include operational and tactical-level training, primarily in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia.
"We have to take into account that Vladimir Putin will one day even attack a NATO country," said Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister.
"Our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible," he told Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper. "At the moment I don't think a Russian attack is likely."
Europe is dealing with a "military threat situation ... that has not existed for 30 years," he added. "We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day - most recently against our friends in the Baltics."
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania signed an agreement on Friday to build bunkers over the next few years to bolster the defenses along their borders with Russia and Belarus, a steady ally of Moscow. Under the agreement, signed in Riga, the three countries will "construct anti-mobility defensive installations in the coming years to deter and, if necessary, defend against military threats," the Estonian defense ministry said in a statement obtained by The Telegraph.
The Kremlin has bolstered threats against neighboring nations since launching its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, especially as Sweden and Finland have moved to join the NATO alliance. Russian leaders have also issued dire warnings toward Poland, revealed The Hill.
Swedish officials have been warning their citizens that "war could come" to the country. Sweden is still waiting for approval from Hungary and Turkey before it can join the military alliance, while Finland has already joined.
Pistorius said Swedish warnings were "understandable from a Scandinavian perspective," considering its proximity to Russia.
"We also have to learn to live with danger again and prepare ourselves - militarily, socially, and in terms of civil defense," Mr. Pistorius warned.
When Will The NATO Exercises Begin?
The Independent reported NATO exercises are due to begin next week. Dubbed Steadfast Defender 24, the exercises "will show that NATO can conduct and sustain complex multi-domain operations over several months, across thousands of kilometers, from the high north to central and eastern Europe, and in any condition," a statement from the 31-member organization said.
Troops will be moving to and through Europe until the end of May in what is described as "a simulated emerging conflict scenario with a near-peer adversary" - essentially Russia.
The stockpiles of weapons and ammunition has been drained across Europe, the US, and beyond in supporting the defense of Ukraine and will take years to replenish at the current rate of production.
Britain's defense secretary, Grant Shapps, has said that the UK will send 20,000 troops backed by advanced fighter jets, surveillance planes, warships, and submarines, to take part in the exercises - with many being deployed in eastern Europe from February to June.
With the Russian president's rhetoric towards NATO nations becoming increasingly hostile, war could come at any time.
