Preparations underway

NATO Secretary General warns of war with Russia

Drafted Russian soldiers at a farewell ceremony

(Bild: AP)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned of a "war" with Russia in the medium term and called on the allies to significantly increase their defense spending.

"We are not ready for what is coming in four to five years," Rutte said on Thursday in his first keynote speech since taking office in October, expressing extreme concern. "What is happening in Ukraine could also happen here," he warned.

There is no "immediate military threat" from Russia, the former Dutch head of government said in his speech in the Brussels offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, Russia is preparing for a "long-term confrontation". "With Ukraine. And with us," Rutte emphasized to guests of the US think tank.

NATO countries cannot keep up with Moscow
Despite increasing their defense budgets, NATO countries still cannot keep up with Moscow's weapons production, Rutte continued. He called on the allies to adopt a "war mentality" and to shift into "turbo" gear in terms of military spending. "We can prevent the next big war on NATO territory," he continued.

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he will urge the allies to increase defense spending. This year, only 23 of the 32 NATO countries have met the target of spending at least two percent of their gross domestic product on defense. For the first time, Germany is close to meeting the target. NATO countries such as Italy, Spain and Canada, on the other hand, are among the laggards.