© Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFPFILE PHOTO. Servicemen drive armored vehicles as they take part in the NATO "Noble Blueprint 23" joint military exercise at the Novo Selo military ground, northwestern Bulgaria, on September 26, 2023.
Senior civilian and military officials from several NATO member states have recently alleged that Moscow could attack the bloc in the coming years. Speaking to CNBC on Monday, Polish President Andrzej Duda, citing unspecified German research, claimed that Russia could invade NATO in 2026 or 2027.
Duda urged fellow member states to ramp up their defense spending, with a view to creating "such a deterrent that ensures we are not attacked."
Van den Ende, who is a contributor at the Tehran Times, Insider Paper.com, and Oneworld.press media outlets, told RT that Western states are the "ones who are aggressive, they are the ones actually preparing themselves to go to war."
Increasingly bellicose rhetoric from Western officials is no bluff, the journalist argued, citing ongoing efforts to stockpile ammunition and develop military drones, including long-range ones that could theoretically reach Russian territory. Van den Ende added that European nations are now putting their economies on a war footing.
According to the Dutch journalist, however, NATO is not yet prepared for a confrontation with Russia, with countries such as Germany facing severe staffing shortages in their military.
This problem is proving to be particularly serious, van den Ende claimed, noting that many Europeans are not tempted by the prospect of joining the army, let alone fighting in a war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently stressed that Moscow does not intend to attack NATO. Speaking to his supporters over the weekend after winning the presidential election, he suggested that "anything is possible in the modern world," but added that hardly "anyone is interested" in an all-out military confrontation.
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