MBABANE:Mark Rutte, the Head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has warned that Russia might attack another European country and therefore, NATO must prepare for a war with Russia, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported this week.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance between 32 member states—30 in Europe and 2 in North America.
Founded in the aftermath of World War II, NATO was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 but Mark Rutte warned this week that, Russia could attack a Nato country within the next five years.
Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies. We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured,” Mark Rutte said in a speech in Germany
But the NATO Chief echoed similar statements about Russia's intentions made by Western intelligence agencies, which Moscow dismisses as hysteria.
Rutte’s warning comes as United States (US) President Donald Trump tries to bring an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.
Earlier this month, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his country was not planning to go to war with Europe, but it was ready "right now” if Europe wanted to-or started a war.
“But similar reassurances were given by Moscow in 2022, just before 200,000 Russian troops crossed the border and invaded Ukraine. Putin has accused European countries of hindering US efforts to bring peace in Ukraine - a reference to the role Ukraine's European allies have recently played in trying to change a US peace plan to end the war, whose initial draft was seen as favouring Russia,” reads the BBC report in part.
NATO Chief Mark Rutte warns Russia might attack a European country.(pic: NATO).