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"It's time to have a war mentality," NATO chief: Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and Europe

2024-12-13 07:55:30Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

"It's time to have a war mentality," NATO chief: Russia is

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to "wipe Ukraine off the map" and could then attack other parts of Europe.

For this reason, he called on Europeans to pressure their governments to increase defense spending.

“It’s time to have a war mentality,” Rutte told security experts and analysts at the Carnegie Europe organization in Brussels. He stressed that people should prepare for the possibility that Russia might try to use “drone swarms” in Europe, as it is doing with deadly effect in Ukraine.

Putin is "trying to destroy our freedom and our way of life," Rutte said.

During his speech, the former Dutch prime minister mentioned Russia's attacks on Georgia in 2008, the annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, Crimea, in 2014, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began almost three years ago.

"Do we need any more warnings? We should be deeply concerned. I know I am," Rutte said.

"Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation. With Ukraine, and with us," he added.

Rutte delivered his inaugural speech about two months after taking office as NATO chief.

Since then, he has traveled to the capitals of 32 member countries, including a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump in the United States, NATO's most powerful ally.

NATO is a major supporter of Ukraine and has helped most of its members send weapons, ammunition and other aid to Ukraine. But Trump's return and his promise to quickly end the war have raised concerns that an unfavorable ceasefire could be imposed on Ukraine.

Trump regularly complains that US allies in NATO do not spend enough on defense.

Rutte said Russia's military spending is likely to reach 7 to 8% of its GDP next year - far more than any NATO ally - with its defense industry producing tanks, armored vehicles and ammunition.

Putin also has the support of allies like China, Iran, and North Korea.

Rutte noted that defense spending has increased significantly in Europe. And 23 member countries are expected to reach NATO's target of allocating 2 percent of GDP to their military budgets.

But Rutte added: "I can tell you that we will need much more than 2 percent."

Rutte listed a series of recent "hostile actions" by Russia against NATO allies, including cyberattacks, assassinations, an explosion at an ammunition depot in the Czech Republic, jamming radars in the Baltic region to disrupt air traffic, and the "arming" of immigrants to destabilize Europe.

"These attacks are not just isolated incidents. They are the result of a coordinated campaign to destabilize our societies and discourage us from supporting Ukraine," he said.

Beyond increasing defense spending in Europe, Rutte stressed that NATO now has tens of thousands of troops on high alert, in case they are needed to defend allies' territory.

"With all this, our defense is good – for now. But what worries me is tomorrow," he said, warning that "we are not ready for what awaits us in four to five years. The danger is approaching us at full speed."

"What is happening in Ukraine could also happen here, and regardless of the outcome of this war, we will not be safe in the future if we are not prepared to face the risk," Rutte added.

Rutte called on governments to provide defense industries with "the large orders and long-term contracts they need to quickly produce more and better weapons."

He urged industries to increase production of defensive weapons against drones and other new combat tactics.

He added that "freedom does not come for free" for the approximately 1 billion people living in the Euro-Atlantic area./ REL


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