Germany’s Top Spy Warns: Putin Could Strike EU “At Any Moment”

By Staff, Agencies

Germany’s new foreign intelligence chief has warned that Russia poses a direct and imminent threat to Europe, cautioning that the current “icy peace” between Moscow and the European Union could erupt into “heated confrontation” at any moment.

Martin Jäger, who took over leadership of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service [BND] last month, told lawmakers in Berlin on Monday that Russia’s strategic objective is to destabilize European democracies and weaken NATO — allegations the Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed.

“We must not sit back and assume that a possible Russian attack will not come until 2029 at the earliest,” Jäger said, speaking alongside Germany’s domestic and military intelligence heads. “At best, there is an icy peace in Europe, which could turn into heated confrontation at any moment.” He added that Moscow “will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO, if necessary.”

Berlin has frequently warned of a potential NATO–Russia clash since the Ukraine conflict intensified in 2022. Germany’s Chief of Defense, General Carsten Breuer, previously said the country must be ready to face Russia by 2029.

Jäger’s remarks coincide with a major increase in Western Europe’s defense spending, justified by the alleged Russian threat. At a NATO summit in The Hague in June, member states agreed to raise defense expenditure targets from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035. The EU followed suit, launching several programs to boost military capabilities, including the €800 billion [$930 billion] ReArm Europe initiative.

Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly rejected claims of any intention to attack NATO or EU members, calling such accusations a pretext to expand military budgets at the cost of domestic welfare.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin accused European leaders of “whipping up hysteria that war with the Russians is supposedly on the doorstep,” calling it a “nonsense mantra”. He urged European governments to focus instead on their internal problems.

Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov echoed the sentiment, saying that European leaders appear “united in a collective anti-Russian frenzy,” leaving little space for diplomacy or dialogue.