Zelensky warns Putin could launch an attack on NATO 'within five years'
24 June 2025, 01:14
The Ukrainian president said Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack a NATO country within five years to test the alliance.
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Mr Zelensky said NATO countries' targets to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 are "very slow" as Ukraine believes that Russia could have "significantly greater capabilities" by 2030.
He said the war with Ukraine is currently "holding [Putin] up, he has no time to drill the army."
Russia's soldiers are "all getting annihilated and wiped out at the battlefield", he continued.
Mr Zelensky said that the Russian president "needs a pause, he needs sanctions to be lifted, he needs a drilled army."
"And 10 years is a very long time. He will have a new army ready [by then]."
Read More: President Zelenskyy in UK for crunch talks with Sir Keir Starmer
Asked if he believed Russia could attack another NATO country within five years as a test to Article 5 - which states that an attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all - the Ukrainian president said; "Precisely so. I believe so."
He added that the Russian president is "not ready" currently.
The British Prime Minister will make a historic commitment at the NATO summit on June 24 to spend 5% of GDP on national security.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed and a clear-eyed sense of the national interest to deliver security for working people and keep them safe."
"That’s why I have made the commitment to spend 5% of GDP on national security. This is an opportunity to deepen our commitment to NATO and drive greater investment in the nation’s wider security and resilience."
The Ukrainian President said earlier that he was "preparing joint decisions for defence, in particular with the United Kingdom and the European Union" in a statement on X.
He said intelligence suggests Russia is "preparing new military operations on European territory" more than three years after it first invaded Ukraine.
He did not give any further details about Russia's alleged planned military expansion but said he will "keep our partners informed of the facts obtained by our intelligence services".
The UK ramped up pressure last week with a raft of 100 new sanctions against Russia, after Putin launched his biggest ever drone attack against Ukraine.
Last week saw stark wording from the Russian President, as Russia laid claim to all of Ukraine, threatening a nuclear strike for the first time in months.
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