German Defense Minister: Europe faces the greatest military threat in 30 years
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Europe faces its “biggest military threat in 30 years” and added that Russia may one day attack a NATO member state.
Pistorius stated, in an interview with the German Der Tagesspiegel newspaper on Friday, that Europe hears “threats from the Kremlin every day,” and must “take into account that Vladimir Putin may attack one of the NATO countries one day”.
The German Defense Minister, a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, said that although he doesn’t believe a Russian attack is likely at the present time, German experts “estimate that it may be possible within 5 to 8 years”.
He added that German society will have to prepare itself for war militarily, socially and in terms of civil defense.
In response to a question about calls for more German military support to Ukraine, he said that supplying Kiev with Taurus cruise missiles isn’t yet an option.
Ukrainian officials had urged Germany to provide Ukraine with those missiles to defend their country against Russia, while Germany is reluctant to deliver the missiles, fearing that they could be used to launch attacks on Russian territory.
