Rutte warns: Russia could attack a NATO country within five years

Russia could attack a NATO country within the next five years, the head of the Western military alliance warned in a statement made during his visit to Berlin.

"Russia is already increasing its covert campaign against our societies," Mark Rutte said in a speech in Germany.

"We must be prepared for the scale of war that our grandparents or great-grandparents experienced," he said.

He repeated similar statements made by Western intelligence agencies about Russia's intentions, which Moscow dismisses as hysteria.

Rutte's warning comes as US President Donald Trump is trying to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country does not plan to go to war with Europe, but is "ready immediately" if Europe wants to - or starts a war.

But similar assurances were given by Moscow in 2022, shortly before 200,000 Russian troops crossed the border and invaded Ukraine.

Putin has accused European countries of obstructing U.S. efforts to bring peace to Ukraine — a reference to the role of Ukraine's European allies, who recently attempted to change a U.S. peace plan to end the war, the initial draft of which was seen as favoring Russia.

But Putin was not being honest, said NATO's secretary general in the German capital, Berlin.

Support for Ukraine, he added, is a guarantee of European security.

“Just imagine if Putin were to achieve his goal; Ukraine under the boot of Russian occupation, his forces pushing around an even longer border with NATO, and the risk of an armed attack against us significantly increased.”