NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Thursday that Europe must prepare for the possibility of a major war with Russia “like our grandparents endured,” as Moscow escalates its threats and battlefield aggression across the continent.

Speaking at a security forum in Berlin, Rutte said complacency in Western capitals is giving the Kremlin dangerous openings. “We are Russia’s next target,” he said. “Too many don’t feel the urgency. Too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. Conflict is at our door.”

Rutte predicted Russia could test NATO directly within five years, a timeframe that has alarmed European defense officials who say their militaries are unprepared for a prolonged, high-intensity conflict. His remarks came as Moscow launched one of its largest aerial assaults of the war, firing 653 drones and more than 50 hypersonic and ballistic missiles across Ukraine. Poland scrambled fighter jets “as a preventive measure.”

The Kremlin also signaled a new level of hostility toward the alliance, warning that any European servicemember in Ukraine would be treated as a “legitimate target.”

European governments are now scrambling to accelerate defense spending and readiness. France has announced expanded national service commitments and warned citizens to steel themselves for battlefield-scale sacrifices. Germany, the Baltics, and Nordic states have quietly increased weapons procurement amid fears that Vladimir Putin could test NATO’s resolve once he consolidates gains in Ukraine.

Rutte’s remarks also underscored widening transatlantic tensions. A blistering report signed by President Donald Trump this week described Europe as “decaying” and accused its leaders of inviting “civilizational erasure,” comments that Moscow welcomed. But Rutte pushed back, arguing the U.S. depends on a strong European pillar of NATO “even if Washington doesn’t always recognize it.”

Diplomats are scrambling to restart stalled peace initiatives. Trump held calls with British, French, and German leaders Wednesday as part of a revived effort to pressure Russia and Ukraine toward negotiations following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest European diplomatic swing.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)