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A NATO chief has urged Europe to prepare for a possible war with Russia as he claims they could be Putin's 'next target'.
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, with the war continuing to rage on. President Donald Trump has attempted to bring an end to the fighting, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also visiting the Kremlin last month to discuss ending the war.
But Russia rejected the president's recent peace plan proposal, and Vladimir Putin has since warned that Russia is 'ready' to fight should a war arise in Europe.
"We're not planning to go to war with Europe, I've said that a hundred times," the Russian president said after an investment forum earlier this month. "But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now.
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"There can be no doubt about that."
Now, Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of Nato, has warned that Russia could attack a country in the alliance within the next five years.
"Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies," he said in a speech in Germany, as per the BBC. "We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured."
The initial draft of Trump's peace plan was seen as favouring Russia, given that Ukraine would have been forced to give up parts of its land, as Putin hit out at the rest of Europe for hindering the US's efforts to bring an end to the war.
"Just imagine if Putin got his way; Ukraine under the boot of Russian occupation, his forces pressing against a longer border with Nato, and the significantly increased risk of an armed attack against us," Rutte added in his speech.
Armed forces minister Al Carns has also echoed Rutte's comments.
"For the last 50 to 60 years, we have been reliant on US security guarantees and now, with multipolar threats facing the US, they may not be as forthright as they have in the past," he told the Telegraph.
"The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to deter it. Collectively in Nato, we’ve got to remember that numerically – we outmatch Russia significantly."
If Russia attacked a Nato country, the alliance's Article 5 mutual defence clause would be triggered if Putin attacked a European nation.
All NATO allies would be bound to one another by their alliance and would have to respond to the attack with their own forces.
Recently, a 'target list' from Russia was revealed, reportedly listing 23 towns and cities in the UK that could be in the firing line.
Topics: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Vladimir Putin, World News
Callum Jones