War in Ukraine could end by 2025, but Russia will remain major threat - NATO Chief
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated in an interview with the Spanish outlet El País that it is indeed possible to end the war in Ukraine by the end of 2025. But stopping the war and any peace plans will not change the fact that Russia will remain a major threat to Europe.
Rutte noted that the war in Ukraine could end as early as the end of 2025, and the Secretary General himself wants "to do everything possible" to help US President Donald Trump “bring to life” the idea of peace in Ukraine.
"I fully share Trump’s vision: this slaughter must stop," he stated.
Rutte also emphasized the losses Russia is suffering. He reminded that over one million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine — and these figures represent only Russia’s irrecoverable losses.
"At the moment, about one million Russians have been killed or severely wounded. Russia is losing around 20,000 soldiers every month. Can you imagine that? Twenty thousand soldiers a month. These are fathers and sons dying while barely gaining any territory," he said.
Rutte further stressed that given such enormous losses, Russia’s territorial gains are extremely questionable. In 2025, Russia captured roughly 1% of Ukraine’s territory — at a huge human cost.
"They have been trying to take Pokrovsk for 18 months and still do not fully control it. More Russians have died trying to take this town than the number of Ukrainians who originally lived there," he summarized.
The threat will remain
When asked whether a peace agreement with Ukraine could remove Russia from the category of threats to Europe, Rutte responded that despite all peace efforts, this is impossible. Moreover, much work remains before peace can be achieved. But Russia will not cease to be a threat.
"No. Russia will remain a long-term threat for a long time. If the Russian president is ready to sacrifice a million of his own citizens for this mistaken attempt to ‘correct history,’ we must be prepared. This is why we must spend much more on our defense. A peace plan does not change the assessment of Russia as a long-term threat to Europe," the NATO Secretary General said.
Peace plans and ending the war
It should be noted that speaking about a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, US President Donald Trump said that the front in Ukraine is allegedly moving in one direction. For this reason, Russia could capture the territories whose transfer was foreseen in the initial US peace plan.
And Mark Rutte himself, commenting on the so-called US peace plan (which in fact turned out to be Russia’s peace plan wrapped by Steve Witkoff), said that the plan contains "many good elements," but some of them need to be revised.
According to the Financial Times, after discussions between representatives of Ukraine, the US, and Europe, the final document was shortened from 28 to 19 points. Although Trump, when speaking to the press, hinted that the plan had allegedly been reduced to only 22 points.
