NATO secretary general: We are Russia's next target, we are already in harm's way

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that alliance states have become Russia's next target and has urged immediate action.

As reported by The Guardian, Rutte said during a speech in Berlin that although the decision taken at the NATO summit in The Hague earlier this year to increase defence spending had been welcomed, "this is not a time for self-congratulation".

"I'm here today to tell you where NATO stands and what we must do to stop a war before it starts. And to do that, we need to be crystal clear about the threat: we are Russia's next target, and we are already in harm's way," Rutte said.

Rutte added that "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 added.

Rutte stressed that Russia "has become even more brazen, reckless and ruthless towards NATO and towards Ukraine".

"During the cold war, President Reagan warned about the aggressive impulses of an evil empire. Today, President Putin is in the empire building business again," he pointed out.

Rutte said that it is important that "all of us keep up the pressure on Russia and support the genuine efforts to bring this war to an end".

European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius believes that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could order an attack on a NATO state within the next two to four years.

German Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank is confident that Russia is capable of carrying out a limited attack on NATO territory at any moment.