Rutte's warning about Russia
Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), didn’t mince his words in a recent warning about Russia’s threat to the military alliance and the European Union.
“We are Russia's next target. And we are already in harm's way,” Rutte said during a speech in Berlin, as quoted by the website Politico. “Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured.”
The NATO Secretary General warned that Moscow could be prepared to start a full-on world war against the military alliance within the next five years.
According to CNN, Rutte affirmed that NATO was “Putin’s next target” and urged an increase on military spending and other measures to prepare for a possible continental war against Russia.
“I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now,” Rutte declared, per Politico.
CNN highlights that in June 2025, NATO members agreed to increase their defense spending targets to 5% of their GDP in the next 10 years. This is more than double that of the previous rate of 2%.
“We need to be ready because conflicts are no longer fought at arm’s length. Conflict is at our door,” the NATO chief warned, per CNN.
Rutte recognized that European countries shouldn’t be so dependent on the United States when it comes to security, without directly addressing the clashes between the Trump Administration and the military alliance.
However, the NATO Secretary General also pointed out that, for the US government, a strong military alliance is beneficial for both sides of the North Atlantic Sea.
“It’s crucial we keep the transatlantic bond as it is today,” Rutte declared, as quoted by CNN. “You cannot defend the US without a safe Atlantic, and you need NATO to keep the Atlantic safe.”
The BBC writes that Rutte’s harsh words come as US President Donald Trump tries to reach out to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to bring a quick end to the war in Ukraine.
The BBC highlights that earlier in December, Putin stated that Russia wasn’t planning to engage in a war with Europe, but that his troops “were ready” in case The West wanted to start a conflict.
However, the BBC reminds that the Kremlin gave similar statements in February 2022, just before Russian troops entered Ukrainian territory.
According to the BBC, Putin has accused European countries of hindering US efforts of achieving peace in Ukraine. This comes after Trump’s original plan seemed giving too many concessions to Russia.
British network SkyNews describes Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan as resembling a “list of demands” outlined by Putin himself.
One of the salient points of the plan is that Ukraine would cede the whole of Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, to Russia. This has been a dealbreaker for Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Adding insult to injury, SkyNews reveals that Trump’s plan would also force Ukraine to reduce the size of its armed forces and give up any pretensions to join either NATO or the European Union.
Nonetheless, CNN writes that the NATO Secretary General praised Trump’s attempt to start talks between Moscow and Kyiv, arguing that the US President was the only man that could “break the deadlock with Putin”.
According to Politico, the NATO chief claims that the Russian leader has already demonstrated that he’s willing to let thousands die for his whims: “if he is prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?”
“Just imagine if Putin got his way; Ukraine under the boot of Russian occupation, his forces pressing against a longer border with NATO, and the significantly increased risk of an armed attack against us,” alerted Rutte, as quoted by the BBC.
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