General Carsten Breuer said it was vital Nato remained united in the face of the war in Ukraine, which has seen the alliance provide support to Kyiv but stop short of ‘boots on the ground’
German Army General Carsten Breuer warned NATO of Russian military build-up
Germany’s top military official has issued a stark warning to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies about a potential showdown with Russia in the “next four years.”
General Carsten Breuer said that Russia is churning out hundreds of tanks annually, many of which could be deployed for an assault on NATO Baltic state members by 2029, or possibly even sooner.
Breuer also told the BBC that NATO stands united over the conflict in Ukraine, despite recent divergent views voiced by the United States, Hungary and Slovakia. Breuer made these comments from the Shangri-la Dialogue – a defence summit in Singapore orchestrated by the think tank International Institute of Strategic Studies.
NATO are keen to show a united front after Russia’s well attended Victory Day parade(Image: AP)
His statements arrive just weeks ahead of a NATO summit where nations are anticipated to deliberate on defence budgets, among other subjects.
Gen. Breuer expressed that NATO is confronting “a very serious threat” from Russia, a threat he has never witnessed in his 40-year service tenure. He added that Russia is currently amassing its forces to an “enormous extent”, manufacturing roughly 1,500 main battle tanks each year.
“Not every single tank is going to [the war in] Ukraine, but it’s also going in stocks and into new military structures always facing the West,” he stated.
In 2024, Russia also produced a massive quantity of artillery ammunition, not all of which was destined for Ukraine.
Despite the losses in Kyiv, the general warns that Russia is building for more(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He warned: “There’s an intent and there’s a build up of the stocks” for a possible future attack on NATO’s Baltic state members.
“This is what the analysts are assessing – in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029… If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that’s not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it’s not. So we must be able to fight tonight.”
The spectre of an attack on a Nato state has always been a chilling prospect, as it could potentially spark a conflict between Russia and the US. According to the terms of Article 5 in the Nato treaty, any assault on one member state obliges others to rally to its defence.
Breuer points out that currently, the most susceptible spot is the so-called Suwalki Gap, nestled at the crossroads of Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Belarus.
“The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this… in the talks we are having over there,” he remarked.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .