Nato has three years to prepare for a Russian attack, Poland warns as fears grow over another Putin offensive
5 December 2023, 15:00
Nato has three years to prepare for a Russian attack, the chief of Polish national security has warned as fears grow over another Putin offensive.
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Ukraine has faced a series of setbacks since Russia first invaded in February 2022, with suggestions that the war has since become "frozen".
The US and EU have been unable to get more packages of military aid to Kyiv, meaning they are unable to make major advances in a counteroffensive.
There are now concerns that Russia could pose a threat to Nato countries and those on the EU's eastern border.
A report from a leading German think tank claimed that Nato needed to be prepared to fend off an attack from Russia within six to 10 years.
Christian Mölling and Torben Schütz from the German Council on Foreign Relations think tank said that Nato is in a "race against time" to resist an attack.
But chief of the Polish National Security Bureau Jacek Siewiera said the time frame had been underestimated.
Read more: Russia launches most intense drone attack on Ukraine since start of war
"Unfortunately [...] this analysis is consistent with studies prepared in the USA," Mr Siewiera told Polish Catholic newspaper Nasz Dziennik.
"However, in my opinion, the time frames presented by German analysts are too optimistic.
"If we want to avoid war, Nato countries on the eastern flank should adopt a shorter, three-year time horizon to prepare for confrontation," he warned.
"This is the time when a potential must be created on the eastern flank that would be a clear signal deterring aggression."
There are fears for the three Baltic nations - Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia - all of which border either Russia or Belarus after Putin suggested Ukraine was just the start of his imperial ambitions.
It comes after Finland and Sweden signed up to join Nato amid concerns over their security.
Meanwhile, Germany increased its defence spending due to Russia's initial invasion in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba insisted on Wednesday that Nato allies had shown no sign of war fatigue and remained committed to helping the country defend itself.
