NATO Chief Mark Rutte has issued a stark warning about the growing risk of conflict with Russia, urging member states to prepare for war.
Reports from Knewz.com reveal that Vladimir Putin recently signed a decree that lowers the threshold for Russia’s use of nuclear weapons against its enemies, stoking fears of a potential “World War III.”
In a statement, Rutte drew comparisons to Cold War-era government spending, pointing out that military budgets in many NATO nations are now lower than during that time.
“We are still spending far less than during the Cold War, even though the threats to our freedom and security are just as big — if not bigger,” Rutte said during his speech in Brussels. “Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us.”
Rutte also expressed concern, stating, “We’re not ready for what is coming our way in four or five years.”
He further emphasized that the current practice of member states allocating 2% of their GDP for defense is inadequate to deter Russian aggression.
Many countries had reduced their defense spending after the Cold War ended, a move Rutte believes left the defense industry “hollowed out.”
Following Russia’s 2014 assault on Crimea, NATO member states began increasing military spending and pledged to allocate 2% of their GDP for defense. However, Rutte argues that this figure is too low to prepare for the threats ahead.
“It is time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge our defense production and spending,” Rutte stated, adding that the situation is the worst he has seen “in [his] lifetime.”
Reports indicate that Russia is currently spending about 6% of its GDP on defense, three times the military expenditure of NATO nations, fueling its invasion of Ukraine and preparing for further confrontation with Ukraine’s Western allies.
Meanwhile, Ukraine, which hopes to join NATO, has ramped up its military spending to about 37% of its GDP.
In these critical times, Rutte called on NATO member states to unite, urging them to “stop creating barriers between each other and between industries, banks, and pension funds.”
While NATO strives to strengthen its defenses against Russian aggression, Putin has adopted a hardline stance toward Ukraine’s Western supporters. This has intensified since President Joe Biden authorized the use of U.S.-supplied missiles to strike targets deep within Russian territory.
In November 2024, the Kremlin issued a new executive order, citing “the emergence of new military threats and risks” as the reason for reconsidering the conditions under which Russia may resort to “extreme measures.”
The updated nuclear doctrine, titled Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, expands the range of countries and military alliances subject to nuclear deterrence, as well as the types of threats Russia is prepared to counter. The doctrine also now includes the stipulation that Russia will treat any attack by a non-nuclear country, supported by a nuclear power, as a joint act of aggression.
The new doctrine further specifies that Russia could consider a nuclear response to conventional attacks threatening its sovereignty, including large-scale launches of aircraft, missiles, or drones targeting Russian territory, violations of Russian borders, and attacks on its ally Belarus.
Putin responded to Ukraine’s missile strikes on Russian territory, saying, “It is not a question of allowing the Kyiv regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of making a decision on whether NATO countries will directly participate in the military conflict or not,” essentially framing the strikes as an indirect act of aggression by NATO.
