Germany’s Top Spy Predicts Russia to Be Ready for Military Engagement With NATO by 2030

Germany’s top intelligence chief, Bruno Kahl, has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to be prepared for a military engagement with NATO by the end of the decade, Bloomberg reports.

Kahl, the president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), told lawmakers in Berlin on Monday that Putin was aiming to expand Russia’s sphere of influence in Europe and push out US military forces, fueled by a growing military spending gap between Russia and the European Union.

“The Kremlin sees the West – and Germany as well – as an adversary,” Kahl said at a public hearing.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has previously alleged a potential Russian attack on NATO within five to eight years. Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s nominee for its first-ever defense commissioner, echoed this claim.

However, a senior official familiar with NATO discussions, speaking anonymously, suggests these warnings may be overly alarmist.