Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) Martin Jager said that Russia is a direct threat to the European Union, and warned that the current "cold peaceful space" could turn into a "hot confrontation" at any time, RT reported.
Mr. Jager - who has just taken on the position of BND Director - told the German National Assembly that Moscow is seeking to destabilize European democracy and undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO).
According to Mr. Jager, Germany cannot subjectively believe that an attack from Russia will only be possible after 2029. He stressed that Russia is ready to face NATO directly militaryically if necessary.
His statement comes as Western European countries have increased their defense spending, citing the threat from Russia. At the NATO Summit in The Hague, member countries pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The European Union also approved the ReArm Europe worth €800 billion to strengthen defense capabilities.
Moscow has denied all allegations, saying the West is taking advantage of the threat to Russia to legalize the increase in the defense budget.
President Vladimir Putin spoke at the Valdai Discussation Club in Sochi, calling concerns about the risk of war with Russia bure and advising European leaders to focus on solving the domestic problem. His assistant, Mr. Yury Ushakov, said that European leaders are sinking into a "craze against Russia" that has left dialogue at a standstill.
