BERLIN, October 13. /TASS/. The new head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence service, Martin Jager, said Europe is now in a state of a "frosty peace" that can quickly escalate into a "hot confrontation."

"At best, Europe is in a state of a frosty peace, which can turn into a hot confrontation at any moment. We must be ready for further escalation," he told public hearings into the activities of special services at Germany’s parliament.

In his opinion, BND should be prepared to act in conditions of a possible armed conflict with Germany’s direct participation. In his opinion, "it is important to get ready for it even now." He also indicated that the risk of a possible escalation with Russia is possible in the near future.

Political and military circles in Western countries, including Germany, have been increasingly vocal about Russia potentially attacking NATO as of late. Russia has repeatedly rejected these claims.

At a meeting with heads of leading international news agencies, organized by TASS on June 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such claims as "nothing but lies and nonsense." "The tale that Russia intends to attack Europe and the NATO member states is the most incredible lie that the people in the Western European countries have been force-fed. We all realize that this is nonsense," Putin said.