Brace for 2028: EU Urged to Prepare for Potential Russian Aggression

Russia may target a European Union country as early as 2028, according to European diplomatic chief Kaja Kallas, who has called for urgent investment in defense.

Speaking at the annual European Defense Agency (EDA) conference, Kallas cited national intelligence reports suggesting the Kremlin plans to “test” the EU’s defense capabilities within the next 3-5 years.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has jolted the Western alliance to strengthen its eastern flank and ramp up spending. But despite increases in defense budgets, EU countries still do not match Moscow’s arms production.

While Kallas did not elaborate on the specifics of Russia’s potential aggression, she said that the EU needs to strengthen military readiness, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin “only understands the language of force.”

“For too long we have offered Russia alternatives, hoping that it would choose cooperation or economic prosperity for its people over fraudulent imperialistic ambitions. But instead, Russia’s defense industry is turning out tanks, glide bombs, and artillery shells in vast quantities.”

She criticized past EU efforts to prioritize economic cooperation over war prevention, stating that these overtures were met with Russia’s militarization.

“In three months they can produce more weapons and more ammunition than we can in twelve,” Kallas said.

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Speaking further, she added that the EU needs to close the defense gap, pointing out that Russia allocates nearly five times more of its GDP to military spending (9% compared to the EU’s average of 1.9%) and produces weapons at a significantly faster rate.

“Europe’s inability to invest in its military potential sends a dangerous signal to the aggressor: weakness provokes it,” she warned.

Despite Russia’s military and economic strain due to its ongoing war with Ukraine, Kallas stressed the urgency of supporting Kyiv, which she said “buys time” for Europe to prepare.

“You can’t fuel an illegal war, deny the country’s sovereignty, kill innocent civilians and get away with it. Russia must take responsibility for its actions; it has to pay.”

She said that the EU’s combined economic strength is 17 times greater than Russia’s, urging member states to act decisively.

“We must show Putin he will lose and stop him before he attacks,” Kallas said, calling for increased defense spending and stronger partnerships with allies like the US, NATO, and the UK.

Her warning echoes a recent statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who urged alliance members to “turbo-charge” defense spending, saying European nations were not prepared for the threat of future war with Russia.

“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years,” Rutte said in a keynote address in Brussels on Dec. 12, his first major speech since taking office as NATO secretary-general in October.

“Danger is moving towards us at full speed,” Rutte said. “What is happening in Ukraine could happen here, too.”

The former Dutch prime minister insisted there was no “imminent military threat,” but said NATO needed to move “faster and fiercer” to bulk up defenses and stave off the risk of future conflict.

“We can prevent the next big war on NATO territory,” he said.

“It is time to shift to a wartime mindset. And turbo-charge our defense production and defense spending.”

Meanwhile, Russian Defense Ministry official Andrei Belousov has also acknowledged the possibility of a military clash with NATO in Europe “within the next decade.”