NATO allies who are not in immediate geographic proximity to Russia should not be complacent, as this distance is very relative when it comes to missile technology.
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a joint press conference in Luxembourg with the country’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Defense Minister Yuriko Backes, according to Ukrinform’s correspondent.
“The threat from the Russians is growing every day. Let us not be naive about this. It could one day also concern Luxembourg and my country, the Netherlands. Right now we are all safe, we think we are far from Russia, but we are very close, especially in the context of Russia’s latest missile technologies. For example, the difference now between Lithuania and Luxembourg, The Hague, or Madrid is five to ten minutes — that is the time it takes a missile to reach these parts of Europe. So we are all under direct threat from the Russians. We are all now on the eastern flank, regardless of whether we live in London or Tallinn — there is no longer any difference,” Rutte said.
The comment came as the Secretary General confirmed the United States’ commitment to NATO interests and that Washington “acknowledged the long-term Russian threat to the entire Alliance, to the whole Euro-Atlantic region.”
“They deeply understand, and from all my conversations in Washington I feel this, that for a safe United States, a safe Atlantic, a safe Europe, and a safe Arctic are necessary, otherwise the United States itself, even the mainland, is at risk. And of course, they also face challenges from the Indo-Pacific region, so they are fully connected to NATO. And after the NATO summit and the commitment to 5% defense spending, including 3.5% on core defense elements, this commitment is fully, in every sense, confirmed,” Rutte said.
