NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, that alliance members could be Russia’s next target, urging swift action to bolster defense spending, production and readiness.
Speaking at the Bavarian State Representation in Berlin at an event hosted by the Munich Security Conference, Rutte invoked the unity that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and said allies must be “crystal clear” about the threat.
“The dark forces of oppression are on the march again. I’m here today to tell you where NATO stands and what we must do to stop a war before it starts,” he said. “We are Russia’s next target. And we are already in harm’s way.”
Spending pledge and the urgency message
Allies committed in June to raise defense outlays to 5% of GDP by 2035, reflecting pressure from President Donald Trump for Europe to assume a larger share of the security burden.
Rutte cautioned that the pledge is not grounds for self-congratulation while Russia continues large-scale drone and missile strikes on Ukraine. “I fear that too many are quietly complacent. 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,” he said.
Rutte framed the timeline starkly, warning that Moscow could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years. He called for accelerated munitions production, larger stockpiles, and sustained investments in air defense, cyber resilience and critical infrastructure protection so national forces “have the resources needed to protect their homelands.”
Cold War reference and today’s risks
Quoting the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s description of an “evil empire,” Rutte argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “in the empire building business again.”
The secretary general said deterrence rests on tangible capabilities, not rhetoric, and that credible force levels across the alliance’s eastern flank are essential to prevent miscalculation.
He urged governments to reduce procurement bottlenecks, streamline cross-border defense trade and exercise combined formations at a tempo consistent with current risk. He added that policymakers should lock in multi-year contracts that give industry certainty to expand lines for air defenses, artillery shells, long-range fires and unmanned systems.
