Europe should be prepared for possible attack from Russia, warns German defense minister

BERLIN

European countries should be prepared for a possible attack from Russia, Germany’s defense minister warned on Monday.

“We are preparing for every threat we have to face in the years to come,” Boris Pistorius said during a visit to neighboring Poland, which also borders Ukraine.

“Nobody really knows whether or when Russia will attack any country in Europe. But what we really see is that it is able and willing to attack Ukraine, and has doing it now for more than two years,” he said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its third year.

“So what we have to learn all together as allies in Europe is to be prepared for any threat, especially for a threat which comes from Putin's Russia in any year. This is a task we have to do, and this is what we are working on,” he added.

Pistorius made the comments in response to a question about media reports that claimed German intelligence services warned in a recent report that Russia could attack a NATO country in Europe from 2026 onwards.

The report said intelligence gathered from the region indicates that the Russian army is preparing for a possible escalation of the conflict with the West, and it “is no longer possible to rule out" that it may target Baltic states or Finland – all NATO member states bordering Russia – as early as 2026.