‘Russia wants to test West,’ says German intelligence chief
The head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst or BND) believes that Russia is seeking to “test the unity of the West” in order to determine whether NATO countries really would trigger Article 5 – which stipulates that an attack against one of the trans-Atlantic alliance’s members will be considered an attack on all.
“We very much hope that’s not the case and that we don’t end up in a situation where it’s put to the test,” BND chief Bruno Kahl told DW on Saturday. “But we have to assume that Russia wants to test the unity of the West.”
According to Kahl, the precise timing of any potential Russian “testing” of Article 5 depends on the course of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine which, three years on, is still consuming massive amounts of Russian military supplies and manpower.
“An early end to the war in Ukraine will enable the Russians to focus their energy where they really want it – against Europe,” he said. “It could be that a concrete danger for Europe emerges sooner than we think.”
Kahl said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to push NATO back and extend his own influence westwards – “ideally without any Americans in Europe.” But he said he hoped that the United States wouldn’t fall for that and expressed confidence that American and European intelligence services would continue to work together.
“We’re as reliant on the help of our friends across the Atlantic as they are on us,” he claimed.
