NATO is gradually contributing to a war

NATO Secretary General Rutte said it was time for the alliance to "switch to a wartime mindset" and warned that NATO members are not investing enough money to deal with the threat of future conflict with Russia.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday (12 December), Rutte noted that Moscow was "preparing for a protracted confrontation between Russia and the West" and described the current security situation as the worst he has ever seen in his life, the BBC reported.

This is Rutte's first major speech since he became NATO secretary general in October.

Rutte urged member states to increase defence spending, saying :" We are not ready for what will happen in four or five years."

US President-elect Trump previously hinted that the US would not protect NATO allies with insufficient defense spending.

NATO members have pledged to spend at least 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence by 2024. But Rutte said NATO countries needed to invest more because the danger was "coming at us at full speed." He pointed out that during the Cold War, European member states spent more than 3 percent of GDP on defense.