Si vis pacem para bellum… The head of NATO, Mark Rutte, issued a harsh warning this Thursday to the rest of the members of the alliance during a speech held in Berlin, where he wanted to warn of the danger that Russia could pose, as well as once again underlining the need to increase defense spending, in line with the requests of US President Donald Trump.
“I am here today to explain to you NATO’s position and what we must do to stop a war before it starts. And to do this, we must be crystal clear about the threat: we are Russia’s next target and we are already in danger,” said Rutte, who wanted to defend the increase in defense and Trump’s claims, as well as the importance of preparing for a possible conflict in the current geopolitical context.
“I fear that many are quietly complacent. Too many do not see the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. It is time to act. Allied defense spending and production must increase rapidly. Our armed forces must have what is necessary to guarantee our security,” he said.
“During the Cold War, President Reagan warned about the aggressive impulses of an evil empire. Today, President Putin is back in the empire-building business,” added Rutte, who stated that “In his distorted view of world history, Putin believes that our freedom threatens his hold on power and that we want to destroy Russia.”
During his speech, the highest representative of NATO also wanted to thank Trump for his work, because as he defended, ““He is the only one who can bring Putin to the negotiating table.” “Let’s put Putin to the test. Let’s see if he really wants peace or if he prefers the massacre to continue,” he finally declared.
A call is expected to be made today, in which the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the French President, Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, among other names, are scheduled to participate.
