Germany warns NATO-Russia clash could come before 2029

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said Russia may attack a NATO member state earlier than 2029.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, he urged a reassessment of timelines for a potential confrontation with Moscow, Caliber.Az reports.

He noted that the question of when such a clash might occur and how to prepare for it “remains speculative,” yet military experts estimate when Russia might “rebuild its armed forces to the point where it will be able to attack a NATO member state in the east,” adding that this estimate points to 2029.

At the same time, the minister emphasised that assessments are shifting. Experts now believe an attack could be possible from 2028, while some argue that the past summer may have been the last peaceful one.

“We should not create the impression that NATO is not capable of defending itself. It is capable. It has a significant deterrence potential. Conventionally, but, of course, also nuclear. Regardless, we have capable armed forces, but, yes, we need to equip them even better,” Pistorius stated.

Earlier in October, the head of Germany’s intelligence service stated that Russia is allegedly prepared to enter into a direct military confrontation with NATO, warning that this could happen before 2029.

According to Federal Intelligence Service chief Martin Jaeger, European countries are already “in the midst of a very hot mess,” and, at best, Europe is now living through a “cold peace” that could erupt into a fierce confrontation at any moment.

Meanwhile, in early November, President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine’s air-defence network would receive an additional boost to its Patriot capabilities thanks to new German assistance.

Germany will allocate about 490 million euros for the development and procurement of DefendAir anti-drone missiles.

By Jeyhun Aghazada