At a conference in Hamburg, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius urged European Union countries to accelerate preparations for a possible military conflict. He said Russia still produces more military output than the EU.

Kubilius argued that Europe is not yet able to provide sufficient deterrence against Russia. He also said Moscow can rapidly develop and field new technologies, including new types of drones.

In his view, a future «day X» could come when Europe might have to face a battle-hardened Russian army. Kubilius said Moscow could potentially use up to 10 million drones a year, or around 30,000 a day.

Against that backdrop, he called for a faster build-up of «military mobility» across Europe. The concept is intended to allow European commands to move large troop formations and weapons quickly across the continent.

Kubilius said this issue is especially important for major port cities such as Hamburg. He also called for the rapid creation of a «military Schengen» to simplify the movement of troops across European countries in an emergency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously rejected claims that Russia could attack NATO, describing such suggestions as false and absurd. He also argued that those making such claims should explain why Moscow would need such an attack in the first place.