Even as the war in Ukraine continues, Adm. Rob Bauer, a top NATO official, is warning of a larger war with Russia and terror groups.
Bauer made his comments during a press conference Thursday in Brussels. He chairs the alliance's Military Committee, according to The Hill.
"We are not seeking war, but we have to be ready for it," he said. "That's our job. Not everything is going to be hunky dory in the next 20 years.
"I'm not saying it is going wrong tomorrow, but we have to realize it's not a given that we are in peace. That's why we have the plans, that's why we are preparing for conflict with Russia and the terror groups if it comes to it."
And he added: "We're not seeking any conflict. But if they attack us, we have to be ready."
The Hill noted Bauer's warning came as NATO announced military exercises next week involving all 31 alliance members, as well as candidate nation Sweden.
Meanwhile, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia could attack the NATO military alliance in less than a decade.
"We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day ... so we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a NATO country one day," he said in an interview with German outlet Der Tagesspiegel, according to Politico.
A Russian attack is not likely "for now," he said: "Our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible."
And Politico noted that Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, an outspoken Putin critic told French newswire AFP: "there's a chance that Russia might not be contained in Ukraine. There is no scenario in this that if Ukraine doesn't win, that could end well for Europe."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.