Russia ‘ready to invade European countries within two years’ as WW3 fears mount

Fears are growing that Putin could launch attacks outside Ukraine (Image: Getty)

Russia could be ready to attack a NATO country within two years if the US engineers a ceasefire deal between Moscow and Ukraine in the coming months, a new report has warned.

In their report, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said Vladimir Putin’s regime could pose a "significant military challenge to NATO allies, particularly the Baltic states, as early as 2027".

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all members of NATO and border Russia, which lies to the west of all three Baltic states.

Russia’s capacity to challenge the security alliance, according to the think tank, would be aided by the Trump administration succeeding in its effort to bring an end to the war in Ukraine and a US withdrawal from NATO.

It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Turkey for talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire but was not joined by his Russian counterpart.

President Putin had made a surprise call to restart the paused Istanbul negotiations from 2022, but failed to arrive to face Zelenskyy at the table.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived for talks in Ankara but Putin failed to show up (Image: Getty)

US president Donald Trump is currently on a tour of the Middle East but has called for a quick end to the war, which began in 2022 when Russia invaded its western neighbour.

Leading figures across Europe have warned of Russia’s potential to compromise other nations’ security, with French president Emmanuel Macron remarking in March that Russian rearmament showed its ambition beyond Ukraine.

While she was Estonia’s Prime Minister, current EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas said "it’s a question of when" Russia "will start the next war”"

Though Russian forces have suffered huge losses during the Ukraine war, including around 3,000 tanks and 9,000 armoured vehicles in the last year alone, General Christopher Vaoli, commander of the US European Command, warned they were on track to "replace them all".

Putin said in September his military would grow to 1.5 million active service personnel, fuelling fears of where troops could be diverted to if peace is achieved in Ukraine.

Last week, reports indicated Russia had begun preparations for war against NATO, as it stepped up demonstrations of force and provocations.

UK armed forces confirmed it had scrambled RAF Typhoon jets three times in three days over Polish territory in an effort to intercept Russian warplanes.

Putin’s regime has pursued tactics including violating airspace without permission and carrying out aggressive manoeuvres near NATO aircraft and ships.

Russia also created two new "military districts" on the Latvian border last year amid a wider military reorganisation designed to address weaknesses showcased by the war in Ukraine.

The moves are also believed to have been part of the response to Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO in 2023 and 2024 respectively.