The Interview3 Jun 2025

Carsten Breuer, the German chief of defence: Nato faces "very serious threat" from Russia

Frank Gardner, BBC Security Correspondent, speaks to Carsten Breuer, the German chief of defence.

General Carsten Breuer gives his assessment of the threat that Russia poses to the Western alliance Nato. He says that Russia is building up its forces to an "enormous extent" and says that members of the alliance need to prepare for a possible attack from Russia within the next four years, according to assessments from defence analysts. He cites recent attacks on undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, and unidentified drones spotted over German power stations and other infrastructure, as possible evidence that Russia is continuously looking for weaknesses in the defence capabilities of Western countries. Russia has denied involvement in these incidents. General Breuer argues that Nato members should build up their militaries, and that European nations should consider security a baseline for prosperity and development. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Frank Gardner Producers: Viv Jones Editor: Nick Holland

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: General Carsten Breuer. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

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