Growing alarm within NATO: Putin considered increasingly unpredictable, Zelensky warns of possible attacks in Europe

After a meeting with Donald Trump in New York, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised concerns that Russia could undertake military actions against another European state. According to him, these operations could include the use of drones, missiles, or even a ground incursion.

The Ukrainian head of state stressed that Moscow’s main goal would be to create division among European nations and to undermine Western support for Kyiv. “How to fragment Europe? How to reduce assistance to Ukraine? If that support falls, they will advance further,” Zelensky warned.

He drew attention to a series of troubling incidents, such as drone flights and border violations in Moldova, Romania and Poland, as well as disruptions reported at airports in Germany and the Nordic states. The Ukrainian leader called on European governments not to ignore these violations. “You must always react. It is not about starting a war. If the Russians find no response, they will go further,” he declared.

Zelensky’s warning coincides with a significant increase in anxiety within the structures of the North Atlantic Alliance. British General Sir John Stryger, NATO’s Deputy Supreme Commander in Europe, has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a leader with “increasingly less predictable behavior,” who does not hesitate to take high-risk actions.

Speaking to the Associated Press during a security forum held in Estonia, Stryger said that member states must move with maximum caution in an “extremely unstable terrain.” He assessed that Russia could orchestrate provocations against NATO to provoke an exaggerated reaction, thus sowing division among allies. The scenarios being examined include acts of sabotage, espionage, and strikes with drones or missiles.

Some leaders of the continent have publicly expressed fear that the Kremlin could test the limits of the Alliance’s response. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of the danger of incidents with drones or missiles that Moscow could later camouflage as accidents. Along the same lines, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the acceleration of measures to protect vital infrastructure, especially from drone threats and in the cyber domain.

However, other senior European officials take a more measured stance, underscoring the lack of evidence for concrete Russian preparations for an armed confrontation with NATO. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs confirmed that no concentration of Russian forces is observed near the Baltic states, while the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, has expressed his conviction that President Putin does not seek a direct clash with the Alliance.

In this mosaic of concerns and reassurances, NATO and European governments continue to be challenged by the need to maintain vigilance and prevent any escalation, as the conflict on Ukrainian territory shows no signs of ending.