NATO issues WW3 threat to Putin: 'Fierce' Western alliance will unleash its 'full force' in 'devastating' response if Russia attacks 'Poland or other ally', new chief warns
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has issued a stark warning to Vladimir Putin, promising a 'devastating' response should Russia launch any attack on Poland or another member state.
'If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be devastating,' the bloc's chief declared in Warsaw today.
'This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us,' he concluded in comments delivered alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Rutte's unequivocal statement comes as nations along the eastern flank of the 32-member alliance, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, expressed concern that US-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine could offer Putin a favourable settlement.
They fear such an outcome would allow the Russian President to rebuild his country's forces and threaten other countries in the region in the coming years.
Such fears are compounded by the knowledge that the American security blanket on which European leaders have relied for decades could be swiftly snatched away by US President Donald Trump.
Trump said during a recent meeting with Rutte at the White House that he does not believe that a peace settlement for Ukraine would lead to Russia attacking other countries.
But Rutte has in the past warned that Russia could be capable of launching an attack again on European soil by the end of the decade.
'Let's not forget that Russia is and is remaining the most significant and dark threat to our alliance. Let's not forget that Russia is moving into a wartime economy, and that will have a huge impact on their capacity and capability to build their armed forces,' he said.
A Swedish artillery team fires a projectile from an Archer self-propelled Howitzer during the NATO 'Exercise Lightning Strike' on November 20, 2024
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (R) during their meeting in Warsaw, Poland on March 26, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during the awards ceremony for young cultural figures, March 25, 2025
NATO troops performing war drills as part of Steadfast Defender
Recent weeks have seen European leaders announce dramatic spending plans designed to kickstart the continent's defence-industrial base after years of cuts.
Sweden is set to increase defence spending by about 300 billion kroner ($30 billion) over the next decade, the prime minister said today, describing the move as the 'biggest rearmament push since the Cold War'.
The Nordic country drastically slashed its defence spending toward the end of the 20th century but reversed course following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
The aim was to increase defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2030, up from the 2.4 percent the country currently spends.
'We have a completely new security situation... and uncertainties will remain for a long time,' Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters, adding it marks Sweden's 'biggest rearmament since the Cold War'.
The Scandinavian state dropped two centuries of military non-alignment and applied for membership in NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - becoming the 32nd member in March 2024.
Sweden has already decided on investments that are expected to put defence spending at 2.6 percent of GDP in a few years, Kristersson said while noting this already put it well above NATO's two percent spending target.
'That is not enough,' Kristersson said. 'Our assessment is that NATO and especially European NATO countries need to take major steps in the coming years.'
The announcement comes less than a week after Germany's parliament approved a historic spending bill that aims to revive growth in Europe's largest economy and scale up the military.
Ending decades of German fiscal conservatism, the legislation creates a €500 billion fund to spend on infrastructure and eases strict borrowing rules set in place after the 2008 global financial crisis to allow higher spending on defence.
German lawmakers said Russian aggression and doubts over the US' commitment to uphold European security were the primary drivers of the historic move.
'The threat from the East, from Moscow, is still present, while the support from the West is no longer what we were once accustomed to,' said Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder.
'I am a convinced transatlanticist, but the relationship of trust in the United States of America has, at least for me and for many others, been deeply shaken. The Germans are worried.'
'Let´s be honest: Germany has, in part, been run into the ground over the course of decades,' said Berlin mayor Kai Wegner. 'Our infrastructure has, in recent years, been more managed than actively developed.'
'For far too long, we´ve only done the bare minimum - and it cannot, must not, continue this way,' he said.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (L) and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (R) during press conference in Warsaw, Poland on March 26, 2025
Two Swedish Airforce JAS-39 Gripen fighter aircraft in close formation are seen over Sweden
German servicemen conduct fire drills with a main battle tank Leopard 2 A7
The drive to boost military capabilities is evident even among Europe's least conflict-minded nations.
Spain, which has long languished at the bottom of the continental list when it comes to defence spending as a share of GDP, is expected to increase its budget following an announcement by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez today.
Spain dedicated 1.28 percent of its annual economic output to defence last year according to NATO figures - well short of the alliance's longstanding two-percent benchmark and less than all other members.
Trump recently insinuated that America would decline to defend any NATO member state deemed to have shirked its responsibilities as a member of the security alliance by underspending.
'The government will launch a major national plan before the summer for the development and promotion of Spanish security and defence technology and industry,' Sanchez said during a debate in parliament.
The Socialist leader said the defence plan will build on the experience gained in recent years with the EU's post-Covid recovery scheme, which was financed through common borrowing.
But he provided no other details on the spending plan, prompting criticism from the head of the main opposition conservative Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo.
'What will the deadlines be? How much will we spend each year? Where will this money come from?' he said.
Meanwhile, the European Union has begun urging civilians to prepare for a possible future conflict.
EU officials issued a public directive to 450 million people, instructing them to stockpile food, water and other essentials to last at least 72 hours as war, cyberattacks, climate change and disease increase the chances of a crisis.
'Today's threats facing Europe are more complex than ever, and they are all interconnected,' said Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib as she unveiled a new strategy for dealing with future disasters.
While the commission is keen not to be seen as alarmist, Lahbib said it's important 'to make sure people have essential supplies for at least 72 hours in a crisis.'
She listed food, water, flashlights, ID papers, medicine and shortwave radios as things to stock.
Lahbib said the EU should build up a 'strategic reserve' and stockpile other critical resources including firefighting planes; medical, energy and transport equipment; and specialized assets against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats,
The EU's plans are similar to those in France, Finland and Sweden.
Last year, Sweden updated its Cold War-era civil emergency advice 'to better reflect today's security policy reality' such as what to do in case of nuclear attack.
Not all EU countries have the same level of crisis preparedness, and the commission also wants to encourage them to coordinate better in case of emergency.
'We can no longer rely on ad hoc reactions,' Lahbib said.
