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An increasingly belligerent Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack the NATO military alliance in less than a decade, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned.
"We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day ... so we have to bear in mind that Vladimir Putin may attack another NATO country one day," Pistorius told German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel in an interview published on Friday.
While a Russian attack is unlikely "at the moment", the minister added: "Our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible."
Following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has stepped up its aggressive rhetoric against some of its neighbors — including the Baltic states and Poland, which are all NATO members, and Moldova — prompting officials top European defense officials warn of the risk of a major conflict.
On Wednesday, the chairman of NATO's military committee of national chiefs, Admiral Rob Bauer, said the military alliance faced the "most dangerous world in decades" and called for a "warfare transformation of NATO".
Earlier this month, Sweden's commander-in-chief, General Micael Bydén similarly called on Swedes to "mentally prepare" for war.
On the same day, Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin also warned that "war may come to Sweden".
In his interview with Der Tagesspiegel, Pistorius said the Swedish warnings were "understandable from a Scandinavian perspective", adding that Sweden faced "an even more serious situation", given its proximity to Russia. It is also not yet a member of the NATO alliance, awaiting approval from Turkey and Hungary to join.
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