Russia could launch a war in Europe if…: Danish intelligence's big warning

Danish intelligence assessment comes amid Trump urging Putin to end the “ridiculous” war in Ukraine or face widespread US tariffs on its exports.

The Danish Defense Intelligence Service warned on Tuesday that Russia could be ready to launch a “large-scale war” in Europe within five years if the Kremlin perceives NATO, the US-led military alliance, as “weak”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, inspects NATO military trophies captured in the battles in Ukraine during his visit to the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechen Republic, Russia.(AP File)

“Russia is likely to be more willing to use military force in a regional war against one or more European NATO countries if it perceives NATO as militarily weakened or politically divided,” said an intelligence report cited by Politico.

“This is particularly true if Russia assesses that the U.S. cannot or will not support the European NATO countries in a war with Russia,” the report adds, warning that Russia is building its military to prepare for a possible war with NATO.

The threat assessment comes amid Donald Trump's repeated calls urging Putin to end the “ridiculous” war in Ukraine or face widespread US tariffs on its exports.

The agency has predicted three scenarios if the war in Ukraine stops or becomes frozen, with the Kremlin not having enough military capacity to fight a war with multiple countries at the same time.

The Danish intelligence report predicts that Russia would be able to trigger a war with a “bordering country” within six months and could launch a regional war in the Baltic Sea region within two years. It also predicts a large-scale attack on Europe in five years if the US decides to stay out of a potential conflict.

The warnings have been made without considering a potential increase in NATO defence capabilities. Since his first term, Trump had been urging the Europen allies to contribute more budgetary resources to NATO's budget, up to 5% of their GDP.

Trump also suggested that Washington could quit the alliance if the allies do not listen to his pleas, even suggesting that he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO member who did not meet its financial obligations.