'We are Russia's next target': NATO chief sounds alarm over looming war with Russia

“We need to be crystal clear about the threat: we are Russia’s next target, and we are already in harm’s way,” he said during his speech.

Rutte noted that now is not the time for self-congratulation. Although NATO countries have agreed to increase defense spending, this is still not enough.

“I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don’t feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now. Allied defence spending and production must rise rapidly. Our armed forces must have what they need to keep us safe,” he said.

Rutte also stressed that the Russian regime has become “brazen, reckless and ruthless” toward NATO and Ukraine. Russian leader Putin is trying to build another empire.

At the same time, Putin considers Western countries to be the main threat to his power. China is now Russia's lifeline, and the Kremlin also enjoys the support of dictatorial regimes in North Korea and Iran.

'I stopped long time ago to guess what’s up in his head'

Rutte added that he has long since lost track of what is going on in Putin's head. As former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, he had to deal with Putin a lot, particularly after Russia invaded Crimea and the downing of passenger flight MH17.

“I had a lot of calls with Putin then and met him later in G20 meetings on that subject, and I stopped long time ago to guess what’s up in his head and what I look at is the facts,” he said.

Rutte added that Putin is now a mad dictator who is willing to sacrifice 1.1 million Russians to seize small pieces of land for his crazy idea of a “historical goal.”

“Then you have to be very careful and we have to stand ready. If you love the German language and you do not want to speak Russian, it is crucial, it is a sine qua non, because otherwise this guy will not stop with Ukraine,” the NATO secretary general joked sadly.

Danish military intelligence recently stated that the country is facing the highest level of external threats in many years amid growing global conflicts and competition between major powers. Russia and, for the first time in history, the United States were named as the main threats to Denmark.

In Germany, the number of cases of unauthorized use of drones rose sharply in 2025. More than a thousand incidents were recorded, including over Bundeswehr naval facilities. Drone activity was also observed near Brussels and Liège airports, causing disruptions to air traffic.

Against this backdrop, Putin stated before meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Russia was ready for war with Europe if it allegedly started it first. However, Putin immediately began lying that Russia had no plans to attack Western countries.