Europe must prepare for war with Russia, NATO chief warns
Europe must prepare itself for a full-scale armed conflict as it is "Russia's next target," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Dec. 11.
"We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured," Rutte said in a speech in Berlin, warning that Europe is "already in harm's way."
The NATO chief reiterated that Moscow could be ready for a war with the alliance within five years, echoing concerns of other Western officials voiced since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The worries were only further fueled by Russian warplanes and drones violating allied airspace and escalating cases of sabotage, cyberattacks, and espionage linked to Russian intelligence services over the past months.
Rutte said that "conflict is at our door" as "Russia has brought war back to Europe." He also warned against complacency in the face of this growing threat, urging stronger support for Ukraine and a rapid increase in defense spending and production.
Spurred by the war in Ukraine and pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, NATO allies agreed to raise their defense spending benchmark to 5% of GDP by 2035 during The Hague summit in June.
Rutte praised allied efforts to strengthen their defense capabilities, noting that the production of 155 mm artillery ammunition in Europe has grown sixfold compared to two years ago.
The NATO chief also revealed that allied contributions to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a NATO-led initiative for purchasing U.S. arms for Kyiv, paid for roughly 75% of the country's Patriot missiles and 90% of the remaining air defense ammunition since August.
The comments come as Trump renews pressure for Ukraine to accept a swift peace deal with Moscow while taking an increasingly critical tone toward his European allies.
A new U.S. National Security Strategy, which lambasted Europe while evading criticism of Moscow, has also fueled concerns about Trump's long-term commitment to transatlantic ties.
