Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma’s defense committee, dismissed German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s warning of a possible NATO-Russia war by 2029 as an attempt to pin Western policy failures on a «Russian threat». He said Moscow has no intention of fighting the alliance, but cautioned that any aggression from NATO countries would draw a response.

Kartapolov argued that Western leaders understand they would lose such a conflict and therefore resort to fear-based messaging at home. He told RIA Novosti that, in his view, talk of a looming war serves to justify how taxpayer money is being spent, with the narrative framed around Russia as the danger.

Earlier, Pistorius told German media that a NATO-Russia war could break out before 2029, and said alliance members must significantly upgrade their armed forces to better counter Moscow.