Moscow’s ultimate goal is to divide NATO and change the existing world order, Bruno Kahl, the chief of Germany foreign intelligence service BND, has said.
Russia has surpassed European states in terms of military spending during its conflict with Ukraine, Kahl told MPs in the Bundestag on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin will “continue to test the West’s red lines and further escalate the confrontation,” the top spy claimed. “Direct military confrontation with NATO has become an option for Moscow,” he said.
Last month, Putin announced changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine in response to potential escalation stemming from US military aid to Ukraine, which Moscow already views as a direct participation of NATO in the conflict. The revision came as Kiev continues to pressure Western countries to greenlight the use of foreign-supplied weapons for strikes deep inside Russian territory.