NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a stern warning to the organization’s allied nations on Thursday, suggesting they stand as “Russia’s next target” after Ukraine.
Rutte delivered the sobering message that NATO countries are “already in harm’s way” during a keynote address at a Berlin event hosted by the Munich Security Conference. He equated Ukraine’s security with Europe’s security and predicted that “Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.”
“The dark forces of oppression are on the march again. I am here today to tell you where NATO stands, and what we must do to stop a war before it starts. And 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,” Rutte said.
The sentiment of Rutte’s address echoed that of his very first major address as NATO chief one year ago, in which he warned member nations that they must shift to a “wartime mindset” and be willing to hike defense spending to prevent a war with Russia. In his speech on Thursday, Rutte circled back to this message to show the efforts put toward defense spending since his initial call to arms, but warned against complacency.