German army boss: We will stop Putin if he strikes

General promises to ready Bundeswehr within five years in case Russia attacks Europe’s eastern flank

VLADIMIR PUTIN’S troops would be defeated by Nato if he dared to launch an attack on Europe’s eastern flank, the German chief of defence has said.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Gen Carsten Breuer said that he had “no doubt” that Germany and other Nato forces stationed in the east could repel Russian soldiers if they invaded neighbouring Baltic states.

He also said he does not expect that Putin will resort to using nuclear weapons strikes in the next stages of the Ukraine war, but called on the British and German armies “to have confidence in each other” through the difficult years ahead, quoting Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery.

Gen Breuer’s remarks reflect a major shift in Germany, which for years has been reluctant to play a leading security role in Europe, such as building up its armed forces, owing to the country’s Nazi past. Asked if German and other Nato forces stationed in the Baltics were strong enough to repel a Russian invasion, Gen Breuer said: “Yes. I have no doubt of that. But primarily, it is a matter of deterrence. Based on our current assessment, my concern is not so much a Russian invasion in the near future.

“Rather, in my role as the chief of defence, it is the paramount importance of achieving the readiness of Germany’s armed forces within the next five years. We call this Kriegstüchtigkeit – being ready, capable and willing to fight. We are on the right track.”

He also pointed out that Germany’s army “has ... adapted our training to focus primarily on deployment and to operating on Nato’s eastern flank”.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which all share land borders with Russia, are deeply concerned by Putin’s shift to a war-time economy in which 40 per cent of the national budget is being pumped into the military.

Estonia’s intelligence chief recently warned that Moscow plans to double its troop presence along the frontier with Nato countries, while the Baltic states have announced plans to build 1,000 concrete bunkers near their borders with Russia to deter an invasion.

Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, has warned that Putin may attack Nato “within five to eight years”, though the risk of an imminent attack is unlikely “for now”.

Donald Trump’s recent comments about encouraging Putin to attack Nato countries which do not meet the alliance’s spending commitments have also caused major concern in Europe, with some questioning whether the US can be relied upon as a security partner.

Gen Breuer said: “European countries must carry a greater share. Germany is already on the right track. And we will do more in future, whoever wins the US election.”

This will involve a major recruitment drive in the Bundeswehr and a potential return to conscription to prepare the armed forces for a “worst-case scenario”, he said.

He also admitted that on the issue of German ammunition production to support Ukraine, “collectively we are not at the level we should be”.