Newsletters
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte issued a warning that Europe must prepare for a large-scale conflict, saying Russia could target European countries next.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Rutte said the threat from Russia is “at the door” and urged NATO members to prepare for a conflict on a historic scale.
“Conflict is at our doorstep. Russia has brought war back to Europe,” Rutte said.
“We must be ready for a war as large as the one our grandparents experienced.”
Rutte said Europe is in danger and stressed that Russia’s next target could be NATO countries, particularly those on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Concerns have increased that Russia could move beyond Ukraine toward countries such as Estonia.
Several European countries, including Poland and Germany, have launched new military training programs to strengthen defenses.
Germany recently passed legislation in the Bundestag aimed at increasing troop numbers and has announced plans to raise the number of German soldiers in the NATO brigade stationed in Lithuania to 5,000.
European countries are also reinforcing civil defense infrastructure.
In Germany, authorities said existing shelters can currently accommodate about 480,000 people, with plans underway to expand capacity to 1 million.
Under the plan, tunnels, metro stations, underground garages and public building basements will be converted into protected shelters.
Similar efforts have begun in the Baltic states, France and Poland.
The U.K. Royal Navy said it tracked the Russian submarine Krasnodar for three days as it moved from the North Sea toward the English Channel.
The operation followed a series of recent encounters between British and Russian vessels.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey previously said a Russian spy ship, Yantar, entered British waters.
As tensions escalated, the Kremlin announced that a British paratrooper had been killed far from the front lines.
Russia said British soldiers operating in Ukraine are considered “legitimate targets,” a position echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
European Union member states agreed to indefinitely freeze Russian assets totaling €210 billion ($246.66 billion) until the war ends.
The EU Council said the funds could otherwise be used to finance Russia’s war against Ukraine, posing serious risks to the EU and member-state economies.
The decision underscores Europe’s growing concern that the war could expand beyond Ukraine and further destabilize the continent.
2 min read
