Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte has warned that Europe must rapidly increase defence spending and prepare for the possibility of direct conflict with Russia, saying the continent faces a threat “on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured.”
Speaking in Berlin, Rutte said: “We are Russia’s next target, and we are already in harm’s way,” adding: “We must all accept that we must act to defend our way of life, now.”
He cautioned that with Russia’s economy “dedicated to war,” Moscow could be ready to use force against Nato within five years.
In Washington, President Trump criticised President Zelensky’s position in ongoing peace negotiations, comparing efforts to end the conflict to a “complex real estate deal” and saying: “It’s not the easiest thing… you’re cutting up land in a certain way.”
He added: “I’d like to see the killing stop… 25,000 soldiers died last month.”
Trump said he may skip a planned summit in Paris on Saturday if he feels the discussions lack substance: “We don’t want to waste a lot of time.”
Zelensky responded that no ultimatum had been issued by the US and emphasised that any territorial concessions would require public approval.
He expressed scepticism over a US proposal for a buffer zone in the Donbas, asking: “If one side’s troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians?”
A revised peace plan is now under negotiation after European leaders pushed back on earlier terms.