Bruno Kahl, President of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst), issued a warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin may try to test the unity of the NATO alliance by challenging Article 5 of the treaty.
According to this article, any attack on one NATO member state constitutes an attack on all members, and the other countries must help in defense.
In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Kahl said, "We very much hope that this will not happen, and that we will not have to stand this test. However, we must assume that Russia wants to test us and put the unity of the West to the test."
[קישורים:4:נאט"ו]
When asked when he considers such a 'challenge' realistic, Kahl replied that it depends on the development of the war in Ukraine, stating that if the war ends before 2029-2030, Russia will use its technical resources and manpower to pose a threat to Europe as quickly as possible.
According to Kahl, Russia will use the period after the war in Ukraine to rebuild its forces to prepare for another attack.
He also claimed that Russia was trying to restore the world order that existed in the past, when it had greater influence on Europe.
These comments come amid pressure from the US on Ukraine to end the war, as well as reports that Trump is considering moving 35,000 US troops from Germany to Hungary.