Major General Wolf-Jürgen Stahl, president of Germany’s Federal Academy for Security Policy, has warned that Europe is facing an increasingly dangerous and unstable security environment, driven by Russian aggression and persistent cyber attacks.
Speaking at an event of the German-British Society, Stahl said Germany is already under constant cyber pressure from the Kremlin and cautioned that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not hesitate to use military force against the West if given the opportunity. According to him, Putin’s actions point to a clear mission aimed at confronting Western powers.
Stahl warned that Europe’s liberal democratic order is under threat and expressed concern over how political leaders and the public might react if Russian forces were to occupy NATO territory. He said there is a risk that calls for diplomacy alone could paralyse a necessary military response.
“If NATO territory is occupied by Russian soldiers, the alliance must act to restore that territory not just legally, but in reality,” he said, adding that the global order is becoming increasingly turbulent, lawless and unstable.
He noted that the four pillars of German security — the European Union, NATO, economic strength and social cohesion — are all under severe strain as Russia continues its pressure on Europe.
The warning comes as Germany hosts NATO’s annual Steadfast Dart military exercise, which this year focused on a scenario in which Russia seizes the Suwalki Gap, the strategic land corridor linking Poland and Lithuania to the Baltic states.
Meanwhile, Poland is debating the idea of developing its own nuclear weapons after Russian drones reportedly violated its airspace. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said he supports joining a nuclear project to strengthen national security, citing Russia’s aggressive posture toward Poland.
Stahl, however, said he remains confident that the United States would continue to provide a nuclear umbrella for its European allies, even if former US President Donald Trump reduces conventional troop deployments in Europe. He stressed that it is not in Washington’s interest for countries like Poland to develop independent nuclear arsenals.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also ruled out Germany developing its own nuclear deterrent, though he acknowledged that Berlin could theoretically host British or French nuclear weapons.
Stahl’s comments come as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on following the collapse of US-mediated peace talks in Geneva. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the discussions failed to deliver sufficient progress, particularly on sensitive political issues and territorial concessions, as the war approaches its fourth anniversary.
