Chief NATO says Putin wants confrontation with Europe after Ukraine

For this reason, he urged Europeans to pressure their governments to increase defence spending.

“Time has come to have a war thinker”, Rutte said before security experts and analysts at the Carnegie Europe organisation in Brussels. He stressed that people must prepare for the possibility that Russia will try to use <x2midousft” in Europe, as it is making lethal impact in Ukraine.

Putin “is trying to undermine our freedom and lifestyle”, Rutte said.

During his speech, the former prime minister of the Netherlands mentioned Russia's attacks in Georgia in 2008, annexing the Ukrainian peninsula, Crimea, in 2014, as well as the complete invasion of Ukraine that began nearly three years ago.

Do we need more warnings? We should be deeply concerned. I know I'm”, Rutte said.

Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation. With Ukraine, and with us”, he added.

Rutte gave the inaugural speech about two months after taking office as chief NATO.

Since then, he has travelled to the capitals of 32 member states, including a meeting with US President-elect Donald Trump, in the United States, NATO's most powerful ally.

NATO is a major supporter of Ukraine and has helped most of its members send weapons, ammunition and other aid to Ukraine. But the return of Trump and his promise to end the war has soon sparked concerns that an adverse ceasefire could be imposed on Ukraine.

Trump regularly complains that US allies in NATO do not spend enough on defence.

Rutte said Russia's military spending would likely reach 7.8% of its GDP next year far more than any ally NATO with its defence industry producing tanks, armoured vehicles and ammunition.

Putin also has the support of allies like China, Iran and North Korea.

Rutte stressed that defence spending has increased significantly in Europe. And, 23 member states are expected to reach NATO's goal of sharing 2 per cent of GDP for their military budgets.

But, Rutte added: “

Rutte listed a string of hostile “actions by Russia recently against NATO allies, including cyber attacks, assassinations, an explosion at an ammunition depot in Czechi, radar blocking in the Baltic region to cut off air traffic, and “arming” of migrants to destabilise Europe.

These attacks are not just isolated incidents. They are the result of a co-ordinated campaign to destabilise our societies and discourage us from supporting Ukraine”, he said.

Beyond increased defence spending in Europe, Rutte stressed that NATO now has tens of thousands of troops on high alert, in case they are needed to protect Allied territory.

With all this, our protection is good right now. But what worries me is tomorrow”, he said and warned that “we are not ready for what awaits us after four to five years. The danger is approaching at full speed to us”

The “What is happening in Ukraine can happen even here, and despite the outcome of this war, we will not be sure in the future if we are not prepared to cope with the” risk, Rutte added, REL reports.

Rutte called on governments to provide large subx0butos and long-term contracts needed to quickly produce more weapons and weapons”.

It urged industries to boost defence weapons against fears and other new combat tactics.

He added that “liance does not come for free” for about 1 billion people living in the Euro-Atlantic zone.