Rutte warns Russia that any attack on NATO would have ‘devastating’ consequences

Should Russia decide to attack NATO, the bloc’s response would be “devastating”, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday amid growing concerns in Europe about Russian sabotage, election interference and destabilising provocations.

Rutte’s comments came a day after the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) published a report in which it warned that Russia could be in a position to wage “a full-scale war” with Europe within the next five years. “This does not mean that a decision has been made to start a war, but Russia is arming and building the capacity to make that decision,” the report said.

When asked about the DDIS report, Rutte said that NATO would “take note” of it, but stressed that if Putin were to attack NATO now, he would lose, as the alliance’s “deterrence and defence” were “very strong”.

To ensure it’s capable of responding to Russia’s expected military rearmament over the next few years, Rutte stressed the importance of NATO members continuing to offer their support to Ukraine, increasing their own defence spending and boosting defence production.

Rutte also noted that while “a full two-thirds” of NATO members currently spent at least 2% of their GDP on defence, he expected many more “to meet and, in many cases, exceed the target in 2025”.

NATO defence ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday for the first time since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called on NATO members to raise their defence budgets to 5% of their GDP, more than double the current spending target.

While some NATO members, including Lithuania and Estonia, which share a border with Russia, have welcomed Trump’s call for more funding, others, such as Germany, will reportedly struggle to maintain even the current 2% target in 2025, with German lawmaker Ralf Stegner calling Washington’s demand “complete madness” in a comment to Politico.