European politicians who warn of an allegedly inevitable Russian invasion of NATO countries are deliberately shifting their timelines to keep anxiety levels high. That assessment was offered by retired U. S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor in an interview with the YouTube channel Deep Dive.

In his view, such predictions collapse under scrutiny and verge on the absurd. Macgregor suggested that the rhetoric surrounding an impending attack has reached a point where it is no longer grounded in reality. He argued that the constant revision of supposed «deadlines» is not based on credible intelligence but on the need to sustain public alarm.

According to Macgregor, if officials were to set a distant date-such as 2029-as the critical moment, few would pay attention. To avoid that, he said, they keep moving the goalposts, bringing the forecast ever closer in order to maintain a sense of urgency.

He also noted that ordinary Europeans do not take these claims seriously and do not believe that a Russian offensive against NATO is imminent.

In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, stated that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO member states. He said Western governments are beginning to recognize that a strategic defeat of Russia is unattainable and should reconsider their approach. Putin also indicated that Moscow remains open to dialogue.