NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that NATO member states are “Russia’s next target” during a visit to Germany on Thursday.
While giving the keynote address at an event in Berlin organized by the Munich Security Conference, Rutte warned that Europe will face a “significantly increased risk” of armed attack from Russia if Ukraine falls.
“We need to be ready because at the end of this first quarter of the 21st century, conflicts are no longer fought at arms-length. Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured,” Rutte said.
“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. It would require a truly gargantuan shift in our deterrence and defense.”
“In such a scenario, we would long for the days when 3.5% of GDP on core defense was enough,” he added – referring to a commitment made by NATO member states this July to allocate at least 3.5%of gross domestic product to core defense spending.
Earlier, Rutte gave a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks at the chancellery. Merz confirmed that US President Donald Trump has received a proposal from Ukraine outlining the territory it might be willing to concede to Russia, and warned that Europe must not allow Ukraine to be forced into a deal to end Russia’s war.
A 28-point “peace” plan drafted by the Trump administration with input from the Kremlin leaked to the press in late November, its terms unilaterally favorable to Russia. After over a fortnight of diplomatic back-and-forth between the US and Russia and Ukraine and Europe, Ukraine has succeeded in diluting the Kremlin’s original demands, but still seems set to make concessions.
Trump said on Wednesday that he had exchanged “pretty strong words” over Ukraine with European leaders.
“We had some little disputes about people, and we’re going to see how it turns out,” Trump added.
Although Trump expressed concern that more discussions could be a waste of time, Merz said on Thursday that a broader international meeting on Ukraine “could take place at the beginning of next week.”