NATO must outpace Russia in terms of military capabilities, as Moscow is already preparing for a possible new conflict, said today the US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reports.
"We already see that the Kremlin aims to rebuild its army. NATO allies must outpace Russia," he said at a press conference ahead of a meeting of defense ministers of the alliance's member states, which is taking place today and tomorrow in Brussels.
"Moscow is already preparing for its next step", he added, stressing that faced with these threats from Moscow, NATO countries "have no choice". "Let me be clear, the time is coming" to increase our defense spending, Whitaker said.
"The Russian threat exists. It (has been around) for a long time, and the Russians, as we have said, are rebuilding their forces at a steady pace," said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
In terms of armaments, Russia "produces in three months what NATO produces in a year," he added.
Several Western intelligence agencies have already stated that in five to seven years Russia will have rebuilt its military forces sufficiently to be able to attack an alliance country.
The US permanent representative also reiterated President Donald Trump's demand that the 32 NATO member states allocate at least 5% of GDP to defense.
"We need an alliance prepared for the threats of 2025. and beyond, not for yesterday's battlefields," Whitaker said.
"The United States expects every ally to present concrete plans, budgets, timelines and results, with a view to reaching the 5% target," he added three weeks before a NATO meeting in The Hague, where a decision on this spending could be made.
Rutte said he was "absolutely positive" that an agreement would be reached at that meeting, which will be held on June 24-25 in the Netherlands.
Asked many times about a possible US withdrawal from Europe, Whitaker, who was appointed by Trump and is a close ally of his, reaffirmed Washington's determination to defend all NATO countries.
"We will defend every inch of allied territory and we will do so from a position of unequal force," he assured he.