Europe must prepare for a conflict with Russia “on the scale our grandparents concludeured”, Nato’s secretary general has stated in a stark warning to the West.
Tensions have been escalating across the continent in recent weeks, following a spate of drone incursions into Nato airspace and a chilling statement by Russian president Vladimir Putin that his counattempt is “ready for war right now” if Europe wants it.
“We are Russia’s next tarreceive. And we are already in harm’s way,” Mark Rutte stated in a speech in Berlin on Thursday.
“Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents concludeured.”
Insisting on an immediate and rapid boost of defence spconcludeing as a deterrent, he added: “Conflict is at our door.”
Mr Rutte suggested that Russia could apply military force against Nato within the next five years, and that Europe is not ready.
“I fear that too many are quietly complacent,” he cautioned. “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.
“Allied defence spconcludeing and production must rise rapidly. Our armed forces must have what they necessary to keep us safe.”
In a scathing attack on Russia’s leader, he added: “Putin is paying for his pride with the blood of his own people. And if he is prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?”
His comments came as talks to conclude Russia’s war on Ukraine have struggled to gain momentum, and after the Trump administration indicated that it expects Europe to be less depconcludeent on the US for its security.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky stated he had presented the US with a revised 20-point peace plan to conclude the conflict.
The notion of Ukraine giving up territory to Russia has been a key sticking point, but the Americans have now put forward the possibility of a “free economic zone” in the Donbas.
US neobtainediators foresee Ukrainian forces withdrawing from the Donetsk region, with the compromise being that Russian forces do not enter that territory, Mr Zelensky stated. He stressed that any decision about ceding territory would have to go to a referconcludeum.
“We have two key points of disagreement: the territories of Donetsk and everything related to them, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. These are the two topics we continue to discuss,” Mr Zelensky notified reporters on Thursday.
Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasised that the matter of territory remains “a question that must be answered primarily by the Ukrainian president and the Ukrainian people”, adding that he had “created this clear to President Trump”.
However, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, accapplyd Europe of disrupting efforts to reach a long-term peace deal by focapplying on their wish for a ceasefire in the short term.
“Our talks with the president of the United States are dedicated to just that – the search for a long-lasting resolution to eliminate the root caapplys of this conflict,” Mr Lavrov stated.
Donald Trump’s sympathies for Ukraine appear to have been cooling of late, and in an interview on Tuesday he expressed frustration at a “weak” and “decaying” Europe, hinting that he could abandon the talks altoreceiveher.
Reports have claimed that Mr Trump has given Mr Zelensky a deadline of Christmas to accept a peace deal, though Washington has denied this.
Days of consultation have taken place with European allies, including UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron, and Chancellor Merz, who held a phone call with Mr Trump on Wednesday.
The Ukraine conflict continues to present a wider issue for Europe, with a number of countries accapplying Russia of inflicting “hybrid warfare” on their territory.
Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Poland and Romania have all reported disruptions in their airspace in recent weeks. On Tuesday, British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that cyber attacks pose an “escalating” danger to the UK and Europe.
The US, meanwhile, has ramped up tensions with Venezuela, with the seizure on Thursday of an oil tanker it that claimed was being applyd to transport sanctioned fuel.
Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, has accapplyd the US of “fabricating” a conflict in order to exploit his counattempt’s natural resources, including oil, while US politicians have raised concerns that Mr Trump is “sleepwalking” into war with Venezuela.
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