NATO country claims Russia possibly to attack in ‘couple of years’
(MENAFN) Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has warned that Russia may be preparing for a potential attack on NATO’s borders in the coming years, urging the alliance to use the time to strengthen defenses. In an interview with France 24 on Friday, Tsahkna claimed that Moscow could be ready for a full-scale offensive within “a couple of years,” though no immediate threat is currently present.
Tsahkna emphasized that while Russia is heavily focused on its military campaign in Ukraine, it continues to invest significantly in military infrastructure near NATO’s borders. “It’s pretty empty on the Russian side right now because they are in Ukraine,” he said, “but they are building up again—on an even larger scale.”
Estonia, along with Latvia and Lithuania, has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, contributing nearly €500 million in aid since February 2022—amounting to over 1.4% of Estonia’s GDP. The Baltic states are also reportedly among a group of six countries supporting a UK and French proposal to deploy a Western “reassurance force” in Ukraine once the conflict subsides.
Reflecting on his time as Estonia’s defense minister in 2016–2017, Tsahkna recalled that Russia had 120,000 troops stationed near the NATO border, ready to mobilize within 48 hours. Although those forces are now largely engaged in Ukraine, he believes Russia is preparing to reallocate troops and test NATO’s resolve in the future.
Still, he expressed confidence in NATO’s readiness, pointing to the increased presence of alliance forces in the Baltic region, growing defense budgets among members, and the recent accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO as strong deterrents against any Russian aggression.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently denied having any intention to attack NATO countries, calling such claims baseless and part of a Western narrative designed to justify increased military spending. Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff echoed this view in a March interview with Tucker Carlson, asserting that Russia has “100% no interest” in invading NATO territory.
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