Russia could be capable of launching an attack against NATO within the next five years, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He made the warning during a speech in London, emphasizing the need for the alliance to make urgent and substantial investments in defense.

Rutte pointed out that leaders of NATO member states are expected to endorse a significant increase in military spending - up to 5% of GDP. This figure, he stressed, was not chosen arbitrarily but is grounded in specific and pressing security assessments. In his words, the alliance must take a “quantum leap” in strengthening its collective defense capabilities to respond to emerging threats.

Part of that leap would include multiplying NATO’s air defense capacities by five, drastically increasing the number of tanks, and producing millions more artillery shells. Rutte argued that this expansion is essential to fully implement NATO’s defense plans, not just in the context of the war in Ukraine, but because threats to European security will persist even after that conflict ends.

The remarks prompted a sharp reaction from Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by once again branding NATO as a tool for “aggression and confrontation,” accusing the alliance of heightening tensions rather than preserving stability.