Naval commander gives NATO horror '5-year warning' over Russian attack

Vladimir Putin could be willing to test NATO's Article 5, an officer and analyst has warned (Image: Getty)

A Danish military commander has made a worrying prediction about Russia amid concerns Vladimir Putin’s forces could be prepared to test NATO’s resolve. Naval officer Anders Puck Nielsen warned Russia could pose a greater threat to Europe as the war in Ukraine gets closer to ending.

Peace talks are continuing following two high-stakes summits held in the US over the past week. Mr Puck Nielsen, who is also a military analyst at the Royal Danish College, claimed Russian forces would be more dangerous if they believed defeat was near and warned an attack to probe NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence agreement could happen. He said: "I would expect to see an escalation in hybrid attacks in this scenario but wouldn't rule out a limited challenge of NATO’s Article 5 with an attack on the Baltic States.”

Donald Trump welcomed European leaders to the White House for talks on Ukraine earlier this week (Image: Getty)

"It would be a wake-up call, an effort to try to deter Europeans from sending weapons to Ukraine,” he added, according to Sky News.

Article 5 is the cornerstone of NATO defence, meaning an attack on one is an attack on all.

The alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte has repeatedly warned Russia could launch an attack on NATO territory within five years.

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Western intelligence agencies have also raised concerns over a possible attack from Moscow, particularly on the Baltics, warning Russia could be ready to do so within three years.

Estonia has described such potential action as a Russian “test for NATO”, something echoed by former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers.

Russia has already been accused of carrying out hybrid attacks, which can be defined as attacks just below the threshold of kinetic warfare, in the Baltic Sea.

Mr Puck Nielsen also addressed US and European security guarantees for Ukraine in an eventual peace deal.

He said: "Adding ground forces is not necessarily what they need but providing an air force would be very helpful.”

The US said Mr Putin has agreed to NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, led by European nations.

However, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday repeated Russian claims that it would never accept European or NATO troops in Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.

He said: "The presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is completely unacceptable for Russia.”