‘We are Russia’s next target’, says NATO chief as he warns we must 'prepare for scale of war our grandparents endured'
The chilling warning comes as efforts to agree a peace deal for Ukraine continue to falter
NATO chief Mark Rutte has warned its member states are "Russia's next target" as he called on the bloc to prepare for a conflict on the scale of the Second World War.
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Speaking at a security conference in Berlin, Mr Rutte said NATO is firmly in the Kremlin's sights as he suggested we could be heading for war on a scale not seen since the 1940s.
"We are Russia's next target," he warned.
"I fear that too many are quietly complacent.
"Too many don't feel the urgency, and too many believe that time is on our side. It is not.
"The time for action is now."
In a final, stark warning for the bloc's members, Mr Rutte said Russia will be ready to wage war on NATO within the next five years.
It comes as Russia has told the UK it must disclose every member of the British armed forces currently active in Ukraine following the death of a soldier last week.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, said on Thursday that every soldier, even British servicemen, in Ukraine is a legitimate target.
British troops are currently helping Ukraine carry out terror acts, sabotage and other anti-Russian activities, she claimed.
Downing Street stressed the UK’s commitment to protecting its national security after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Europe must be ready for war on the scale endured by “our grandparents or great-grandparents”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I think we’ve been clear in many months that Russia’s war in Ukraine affects our national security as well – whether that’s things like undersea cables or issues such as that.“You’ve seen our uptick in defence spending and the commitment we’ve made there, and the Prime Minister’s words on importance of Nato overall.”
He added: “The national security of this country is clearly the number one priority of this Government and any government, but I’ll just point you to the commitments that we have made on defence spending as clear evidence of just how seriously we take that commitment.”
As tensions continue to rise in Europe, efforts to agree a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine have stalled.
Donald Trump has reportedly demanded that Ukraine agree a peace deal with Russia by Christmas after unleashing a furious tirade against President Zelenskyy - telling him to "get his act together".
The Ukrainian president has told European counterparts that the US delegation in the peace talks, comprised of special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, is pushing him to agree a compromise with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
A source told the Financial Times that the US president wants a peace deal agreed "by Christmas".
Zelenskyy has told the American envoys that he needed time to consult with European allies before responding to Trump's proposals.
“To be honest, the Americans are looking for a compromise today,” Zelenskyy told reporters in a briefing over WhatsApp on Monday evening.
Western unity over Ukraine has fractured in recent days, as Mr Trump unleashed a rant against European nations on Monday.
Trump branded European leaders “weak” in a wide-ranging interview, adding that mass migration has caused Europe to “decay”.
He also blamed the continent’s leaders for failing to end the war in Ukraine.
“I think they are weak,” Mr Trump told POLITICO.
“But I also think that they want to be so politically correct.”
“I think they don’t know what to do. Europe doesn’t know what to do.
”The US President accused European leaders of “talking too much” and failing to deliver on the war in Ukraine, as he demanded Volodymyr Zelenskyy “get his act together.”
“Frankly, it wouldn’t have happened if I had been president—and it didn’t happen during my four years in office,” he said, echoing a point he has made on numerous occasions.
“I think if I weren’t president, we would have had World War III.”
He said Russia was in a “much better” position than Ukraine, as he accused Mr Zelenskyy of using the war to prevent elections taking place in Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky on Monday reiterated his opposition to ceding any territory, resisting US pressure for a compromise with Russia as he continues to rally European support for Kyiv.
In his interview, Mr Trump again suggested the Ukrainian leader accept the American proposal to hand over land to Russia and argued Moscow retained the “upper hand”.
“They’re using the war as an excuse not to hold an election,” he said.
“But they haven’t had an election in a long time. They talk about a democracy, but at some point, it ceases to be one.”
In response, Mr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to hold a wartime election within the next three months, if Ukraine’s parliament and foreign allies will allow it.