NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called on allies to step up defense efforts to avoid a war waged by Russia that could be “on the scale of the war our grandparents and great-grandparents faced.”
In a speech in Berlin, Rutte said that many allies in the military alliance have not felt the urgency of the Russian threat in Europe and that they need to quickly increase defense spending and production to avoid one on the scale of that seen by past generations.
“We are Russia’s next target. I fear that many are quietly complacent. Many do not feel the urgency. And many believe that time is on our side. But it is not. The time to act is now,” Rutte said.
“The conflict is on our doorstep. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we need to be prepared,” he added.
Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years, according to Rutte.
Proposal for the USA
At the same time, Ukraine is trying to advance efforts to end the war with Russia. President Zelensky handed the Americans a revised peace proposal following talks between the two countries.
The information comes days after US President Donald Trump told the newspaper Politico that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky needed to “get moving” and “start accepting things”, arguing that Russia has the upper hand and a stronger negotiating position.
As the war approaches the four-year mark, Ukraine, under pressure from the White House to quickly agree to the peace proposal, is seeking to amend the US-backed document widely seen as favorable to Moscow.
Deadlock on the territorial issue
This week, the Ukrainian president highlighted that “the Americans’ principle is to find a compromise.”
“It is clear that there are complex issues related to the territory, and a consensus has not yet been reached,” he added. He reiterated his position, already stated several times, that Ukraine cannot give up any part of its territory.
Earlier, a British government source said Monday’s meeting would focus on using the value of frozen Russian assets in the West.
Leaders of Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden have asked the European Union to speed up a proposal to use these assets as a way to finance Ukraine.
Starmer, Macron, Merz and Zelensky are also seeking security guarantees from the US to help deter further attacks from Russia.
