Pistorius believes that Putin is not seeking to start a full-scale world war against NATO

Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius is skeptical about the possibility of a full-scale war between Russia and NATO. This is his opinion expressed in an interview with the German media outlet Die Zeit.

The Minister was asked to comment on the statement of the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Europe can survive the war, "as our grandparents did."

"Maybe he wanted to paint a very vivid picture of what could happen. I don't believe in such a scenario," Pistorius said.

In his opinion, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not seek to start a full-scale world war against NATO.

The German Defense Minister believes that the Russian dictator wants to destroy the Alliance from within by undermining its unity, and is testing how NATO will react to airspace violations.

"Will the allied Eurofighters eventually stay on the ground because they stopped taking it seriously? Will they withdraw their troops because nothing is happening anyway? Are they ready to invoke Article 5 if something happens on the Baltic borders? And Putin is strategically working to force the Americans to withdraw," the German Defense Minister emphasized.

He noted that Germany is increasing the number of military personnel and strengthening the reserve. At the same time, the Bundeswehr has accelerated arms purchases.

"However, we face a serious challenge, as we need to increase production capacity first, and warehouses cannot be replenished overnight," explained Pistorius.

• In August, Budanov said that Russia plans to spend by 2036, $1.1 trillion for rearmament to prepare for war with NATO.
• In October, the head of Germany's intelligence service said that Russia was allegedly ready to engage in a direct military conflict with NATO and that this may happen by 2029.