Russia Could Be Ready to Strike NATO in Two Years

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-strike-nato-two-years-us-europe-ceasefire-agreement-2069537

Eussia could be ready to attack a NATO country within two years if the United States brokers a ceasefire deal in the next few months, according to a new assessment from a leading think tank.

Moscow could pose "a significant military challenge to NATO allies, particularly the Baltic states, as early as 2027," the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report released on Wednesday evening ET (Thursday U.K. time.)

The think tank said Russia's ability to challenge the alliance would hinge on the Trump administration soon succeeding in its goal to bring the more than three years of bitter war in Ukraine to an end, and for the U.S. to start a withdrawal from NATO.

Trump, whose initial pledge to end the war in Ukraine in just 24 hours has clashed with reality, is said to be becoming increasingly irritated with the pace of progress toward a ceasefire, criticizing Russia's reluctance as he pursues a rapprochement with the Kremlin.

But as the diplomacy ramps up, leaders worry about whether Putin has his eye beyond Ukraine. Estonia's defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, told Newsweek in November that even if the fighting stops and Russian soldiers now in eastern Ukraine are no longer needed there, "hundreds of thousands of troops" will be available for Putin to move closer to the Baltic States.

Moscow would likely 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," Denmark's defense intelligence service said.