Putin could attack Nato by 2030, alliance boss warns as ‘Europe needs to build its own Golden Dome defence system'

The Irish Sun

3 hours ago

VLADIMIR Putin could launch an assault on NATO by 2030, an alliance chief has warned.
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The NATO chief warned the end of the war in Ukraine won't stop the Russian threat
Credit: AP
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The alliance boss warned of Russia's threat to the UK and other European countries
Credit: Getty
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Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about Russia's looming threat at Chatham House
Credit: PA
The NATO head said that the alliance would need to take a "quantum leap" in building up its defence systems as
Speaking at the world-leading policy institute, Chatham House, he urged European leaders to increase their air and missile defence capabilities by a staggering 400 per cent.
Europe should also be prepared to protect its skies, as
He said: "The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence.
"The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our
"The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in
Ukraine
ends."
In an urgent plea to leaders, he called for militaries to be armed with thousands more vehicles and tanks, and millions more artillery shells.
He also insisted allies double their resources supporting military
power
including logistics,
transport
and medical aid.
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Terrifyingly, Rutte also hinted at a potential triple threat - with Mad Vlad teaming up with despot leaders in China, North Korea and
Russia currently produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year, he said.
Russia's ambassador to the UK 'blames Britain' for Ukraine's daring drone attack & warns of 'WWIII risk'
China is also modernising and expanding its military, with its battle force expected to increase to 435 ships by 2030.
He warned: "Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger.
"Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance."
The alliance chief's comments came as he pushed for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month.
Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of
GDP
on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure.
The proposal is a compromise deal designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that allies each spend 5 percent of economic output on defence, up from a current commitment of two percent.
Rutte said he "expects" leaders to agree to the proposal at the summit of the 32-country alliance on June 24-25 in The Hague.
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The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system has protected the state from missile attacks
Credit: AP
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Donald Trump recently unveiled plans to build a Golden Dome over America
"It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance," he said in his speech.
Russia condemned Rutte's comments before he took to the stage, denouncing NATO as "an instrument of aggression".
NATO "is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
This follows Rutte's meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer - their second Downing Street talk since the Labour leader came into power last year.
Starmer's government this year pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would hit two percent this year.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week the allies were close to an agreement on the split five-percent
target
.
"That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up," he said on Thursday.
Space rockets & hypersonic interceptors…Trump unveils half-a-trillion dollar Golden Dome air defence to be ready by 2029
DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech "Golden Dome" missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office.
The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever.
Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the "most catastrophic threat facing the United States".
The idea is modelled on Israel's Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas.
But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel.
During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world".
NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump's return to the White House in January, and question marks over his commitment to European security, has added urgency.
Rutte warned: "Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends.
"We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full."
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He added that if countries cannot commit to 5 percent for defence spending "you could still have the National
Health
Service, or in other countries, their health systems, the pension system, etc, but you better learn to speak Russian. I mean, that's the consequence".
Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia.
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He urged Europe to build its own Golden Dome
Credit: SWNS