Brussels, 30 September, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European defence chiefs have delivered fresh warnings over the Russian threat, arguing that Europe faces a critical period as Moscow increases hybrid pressure while governments race to strengthen military capabilities and improve NATO deterrence.
Speaking at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit in Brussels on Wednesday, senior commanders from the Netherlands and Lithuania highlighted risks ranging from cyberattacks and sabotage to drone incursions, GPS interference and pressure on critical infrastructure. Their warnings come amid a wider push by the European Union and NATO to accelerate defence readiness.
Dutch defence chief warns Europe faces vulnerability
General Onno Eichelsheim, Chief of Defence of the Netherlands, warned that Europe faces what he described as a “window of vulnerability until 2030” while armed forces rebuild capabilities and adapt to lessons emerging from the war in Ukraine.
Eichelsheim said there was a gap between the security threats Europe faces today and military forces that will only reach planned levels of readiness several years from now.
“Within that window, we must ensure that strong deterrence is in place, and if deterrence fails, we have to fight,” he said.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence separately confirmed that Eichelsheim used his Brussels appearance to call for dramatically faster development and production of military equipment. He argued that European armed forces and the defence industry need to work more closely together.
Lithuania highlights hybrid security risks
Lithuanian Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras also warned that Russian hybrid activity could move progressively closer to NATO’s collective-defence threshold.
He cited drone incidents, sabotage, arson, cyberattacks and GPS jamming among the threats experienced by Lithuania and warned that similar tactics are increasingly being observed elsewhere in Europe.
“Today, Russia operates below of Article 5. Tomorrow it may test how close it can get to that line,” Vaikšnoras said.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty establishes the principle that an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all.
NATO says alliance remains ready
The latest warnings follow a meeting of NATO’s 32 Chiefs of Defence in Copenhagen earlier this month. Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, said recent Russian behaviour — including airspace violations, drone incidents and hybrid activities — had tested Allied resolve.
NATO has stressed that it remains prepared to defend Allied territory. Secretary General Mark Rutte also said on Wednesday that there was no imminent military threat to NATO territory, while calling on Russia to stop its nuclear threats.
That distinction is important: European officials are warning about an escalating security environment without saying that a conventional Russian attack on NATO is imminent.
EU targets stronger defence readiness by 2030
The warnings have particular significance in Brussels because EU governments have already committed to substantially strengthening European defence readiness by 2030.
In June, the European Council said Russia’s war against Ukraine remained an “existential challenge” for the EU and called for faster efforts to reduce strategic dependencies and address critical military capability gaps.
Priority areas include drone and counter-drone technology, air defence, early-warning systems and long-range precision-strike capabilities.
Europe faces pressure to turn spending into capability
The central challenge is now moving from political commitments and larger defence budgets to equipment that European forces can deploy.
Eichelsheim argued that European cooperation should be measured not by the number of programmes created but by whether soldiers receive the equipment they need when they need it.
For Brussels, the renewed warnings place additional pressure on EU governments to accelerate procurement, strengthen defence-industrial production and coordinate national programmes.
The debate over the Russian threat is therefore increasingly focused not simply on how much Europe spends on defence, but how quickly those resources can produce credible military capabilities and stronger deterrence.
