Europe under threat: Russia could exploit US presidential transition with winter 2024 attack
"Bild" underscores that the timeframe under consideration aligns with the interim period between the end of the current US president's term at the start of November 2024 and the inauguration of his potential successor in January 2025.
Germany in catch-up mode
An intelligence official conveyed that Russian officials optimistically expect the return of "former President Donald Trump to the White House, as unpredictable actions become a possibility under his administration".
Earlier, Boris Pistorius, the German Defense Minister, emphasized in an interview with "WELT am SONNTAG" that Germany needs to bolster its preparedness for national defense. "We now have roughly a five to eight-year window in which we need to catch up - in our armed forces, industry, and society at large."
A three-year timeframe for a potential confrontation
Additionally, it has been disclosed that Germany anticipates deploying four thousand Bundeswehr soldiers to Lithuania by 2027. This marks the first instance in Germany's history of permanently stationing an entire brigade on NATO's eastern flank - near the Russian border. Pistorius is also advocating for the reintroduction of compulsory military service in Germany.
Earlier, Jacek Siewiera, the head of the National Security Bureau, asserted that NATO countries on the eastern flank need to prepare for a possible confrontation with Russia within the next three years.
