NATO Chief Mark Rutte urged ally countries to make wartime preparations, declaring that the entity is “Russia’s next target.”
“I am here today to tell you where NATO stands, and what we must do to stop a war before it starts. To do that, we need to be crystal clear about the threat. We are Russia’s next target, and we are already in harm’s way,” he said during a speech in Berlin.
“We must all accept that we must act to defend our way of life, now. Because this year, Russia has become even more brazen, reckless, and ruthless, towards NATO, and towards Ukraine,” Rutte added, going on to declare the Russian President Vladimir Putin is “in the empire-building business again.”
Rutte noted that “conflicts are no longer fought at arms-length,” but is instead “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,” he stated. “Imagine it, a conflict reaching every home, every workplace, destruction, mass mobilisation, millions displaced, widespread suffering and extreme losses. It is a terrible thought, but if we deliver on our commitments, this is a tragedy we can prevent.”
Rutte called for Europe to enter a “wartime mindset” during a 2024 speech in Brussels.
“It’s time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge defense production and spending,” he said at the time. “I know spending more on defense means spending less on other priorities. But it is only a little less,” Rutte added. “On average, European countries easily spend up to a quarter of their national income on pensions, health and social security systems. We need a small fraction of that money to make our defenses much stronger, and to preserve our way of life.”
