A DIRE warning has been issued that Vladimir Putin is looking to start a major war in Europe within five years, according to bombshell spy intel.
Danish intelligence has evaluated the military capabilities of the Russian leader, suggesting that he might be gearing up to initiate conflicts with nearby territories before launching a large-scale assault on NATO.
The report from Denmark raises worries that a potential peace agreement in Ukraine could essentially solidify the ongoing conflict in a manner that favors the Russian government for its hostile actions.
Perceived fractures across NATO with Donald Trump pulling back from European security guarantees are further pushing Putin to take advantage.
According to the Danish Defence Intelligence Service [DDIS], an unclassified analysis indicates that “Russia views itself as engaged in a confrontation with Western nations and is getting ready for a potential conflict with NATO.”
“While no decision to initiate such a war has been made, Russia is building the capacity to make that choice if deemed necessary.”
It added that the threat is greater if Putin sees NATO as “militarily weakened or politically divided”.
Danish intelligence warns the West that Putin has embarked on a “major rebuilding and reform of its armed forces”.
The report says that the expansion has shifted from restoration to “an intensified military buildup aimed at waging war against NATO”.
It suggests that Russia “has already enhanced its military capacity through the modernisation of equipment and a significant increase in military production”.
The spy intel warned that if the conflict in Ukraine is paused or brought to an end, there are three different ways the Russian dictator could redirect military aggression targeting NATO.
He would be able to carry out one option in a matter of months.
In as little as six months time, Russia may be able to wage a local war with a neighbouring country if it can reallocate its military resources currently committed to the Ukraine war.
Georgia and Moldova – both ex-Soviet states – are seen as potentially at risk.
Within two years, the report claims Moscow could post a significant threat to one or more NATO countries in the Baltic states.
Nations at risk are perceived to be Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all ex-USSR.
The threat of a large-scale war with Europe could happen within five years, presuming the U.S. does not intervene, according to the assessment.
As Trump vows to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the outcome of the conflict is critical since “it is unlikely that Russia could sustain both the war in Ukraine and a simultaneous war with NATO”.
Denmark’s intelligence chief, Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen, told Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that there is no concrete threat to Denmark from Russia.
However Nielsen warned that the situation is rapidly changing and that most NATO countries are failing to arm themselves to recommended levels.
Trump has suggested they should spend five per cent of GDP on defence.
He has also made clear he wants control of the vast territory of Greenland – an autonomous region of Denmark.
Such a move may be seen as a sign of division within NATO.
Nielsen said: “We see an increased willingness on the Russian side to challenge NATO, and we see an American administration that is focused on ending the fighting in Ukraine.”
As Putin continues his military build-up which could be used to target NATO, he is being bolstered by Iran, China, and North Korea, the Danish intelligence service noted.
It said: “The economic and material support from China and the support from North Korea and Iran with troops and weapons systems, respectively, are increasingly contributing to freeing up resources for Russia’s rearmament towards NATO.”
FRACTURED ALLIANCE
The despot is so convinced of NATO’s weakness that one military expert has claimed Putin believes he could scale an attack on the alliance and get away with it.
Anders Puck Nielsen, a military expert from the Danish Defense Academy, told TV2: “If NATO’s deterrence is undermined in Europe, Russia may believe they could launch an attack on NATO and achieve a good result.”
It comes as the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Ukraine will not be able to get NATO membership while criticising Europe for not pulling its weight.
During his speech to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday, Hegseth reiterated Trump’s calls to end the conflict saying: “The bloodshed must stop and this war must end.”
“We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine, but we must start by recognising that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.
“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.”
“The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” Hegseth said.
He added that “the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”
“Any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops,” he said.
“To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be US troops deployed to Ukraine.“
He also joined Trump in casting doubt over whether the US would support NATO countries in Europe that are at war against Russia.
The Defence secretary warned that in the future the US would do more to defend itself due to the “stark strategic realities” of it wanting to compete with China.
Trump’s foreign policy is increasingly unclear which is worrying NATO officials at a time when cooperation within the alliance is paramount.
The president’s interest in Greenland despite the Danish prime minister’s insistence that it is “not for sale” is playing a major role in the division.
Trump has insisted that “we’re going to have it” and that the population of Greenland—57,000 people—”want to be with us.”
This move has signified to Putin that there are “big gaps in NATO cooperation,” senior researcher at the Denmark Institute for International Studies, Flemmings Splidsboel, told TV2.
He said: “We had a situation where two major NATO countries, France and Germany, are defending a third NATO country, Denmark, against a fourth, the United States.”
“And that has done great damage to the cooperation.”
Over the weekend Trump claimed he and Putin held a conversation and are “making progress” as he hopes for a future in-person meeting with the dictator to discuss an ongoing peace plan.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky has called for “strong actions and pressure” against Russia while calling for Europe and NATO to put on a united front.
“Right now, we need the unity and support of all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war,” he wrote on X.
