The Nato Chief has said it is time to "shift to a wartime mindset", as he warned the military alliance's members were not spending enough to prepare for the threat of a future confrontation with Russia.
Secretary general Mark Rutte said Moscow was "preparing for long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us", describing the current security situation as the worst in his lifetime, reports BBC.
"We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," he said in his first major speech since becoming secretary general in October, urging members to "turbocharge" their defence spending.
His comments come weeks before president-elect Donald Trump takes office, having previously suggested the US would not protect Nato allies that were failing to spend enough on defence.
Nato members have pledged to spend at least 2% of the value of their economies - measured by GDP - on defence per year by 2024.
But speaking at an event in Brussels, the former Dutch prime minister said "a lot more" would be needed as danger "[moves] towards us at full speed".
He said European members had spent upwards of 3% of GDP on defence during the Cold War.
"If we don't spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later to fight it," he said.
He added that Russia's economy was "on a war footing", with its defence spend by 2025 set to be "a third of Russia's state budget – and the highest level since the Cold War".
Russia has significantly increased its defence spending since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with record levels approved for 2025.
Rutte spoke at a critical juncture in the war in Ukraine, with Russian forces grinding forward in the east of the country. By November, Moscow had seized six times as much Ukrainian territory in 2024 compared with the whole of 2023.
While the average defence spend for Nato members in Europe and Canada is estimated at 2%, not all meet the target.
Trump said in February that he would "encourage" Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance.
Nato's 32 members in Europe and North America agree that if one member is attacked, the others should help defend them.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
