Germany’s foreign intelligence chief, Martin Jager, has stated that Russia poses a direct threat to the EU and presents existential challenges to the bloc’s security.
He warned that the Bloc’s “icy peace” relations with Moscow could escalate into “heated confrontation” at any moment. Jager, who took over Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) last month, told lawmakers in the capital, Berlin, that Moscow actively seeks to destabilise European democracies and undermine NATO, allegations that the Kremlin denies.
“We must not sit back and assume that a possible attack from the Russian side will not come until 2029,” he said, adding, “At best, there is an icy peace in Europe, which could turn into a heated confrontation at any moment.”
He warned that “Russia will not shy away from a direct military confrontation with NATO with the help of its friends, if necessary.” Berlin feels it is most likely the next target of the Russian military aggression against NATO, since it launched an invasion campaign against Ukraine in 2022.
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Germany’s chief of defence staff, General Carsten Breuer, has said the country must be ready to face Russia by 2029. Jager made these remarks as Western European governments are boosting military spending, citing an alleged incoming Russian attack.
At this year’s NATO summit in The Hague in June, members of the bloc agreed to increase their defence spending from 2 per cent to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035. The EU, in turn, similarly approved several programmes aimed at boosting military spending this year, including the €800 billion ($930 billion) Re-arm Europe initiative.
Moscow has constantly rejected accusations that it plans to attack NATO or any EU member, calling them a pretext to justify soaring military budgets at the expense of social programmes.
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