Ukraine-Russia war latest: Nato says Putin wants to ‘wipe Ukraine off map’ as Russia targets its energy grid
Putin ‘is trying to crush our freedom and way of life’, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte says
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Your support makes all the difference.Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte warned that Vladimir Putin wants to “wipe Ukraine off the map” and could come after other parts of Europe next as he called for the alliance to adopt a wartime mindset.
Talking to security experts and analysts in Brussels, Mr Rutte warned of the prospect that Russia might try to use “swarms of drones” in Europe after seeing their deadly impact in Ukraine.
Moscow is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and Nato, he said, adding that the Russian president “is trying to crush our freedom and way of life”.
This morning, Russia launched a large-scale attack using missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy facilities. Ukrainian officials said the entire country was under air raid alerts.
On the battlefield, Ukraine’s military commander admitted fighting around the key city of Pokrovsk was “extremely intense” with analysts estimating Russian forces are now within just a few kilometres of the city.
And Donald Trump has criticised Ukraine’s use of US-supplied missiles for attacks deep into Russian territory. “It’s crazy what’s taking place. It’s crazy. I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia.
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Nato head Mark Rutte warned the US-led transatlantic alliance on Thursday that it was not ready for the threats it would face from Russia in the coming years and called for a shift to a wartime mindset - with much higher defence spending.
Rutte said Nato members had spent more than three per cent of GDP on defence during the Cold War, and future spending would have to be much higher than the current alliance target of two per cent.
“Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,” Rutte said in a speech in Brussels.
“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years,” the Nato secretary-general said, adding: “It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defence production and defence spending."
Trump criticises Ukraine’s use of US missiles for attacks deep into Russia-Time interview
US president-elect Donald Trump has criticised Ukraine‘s use of US-supplied missiles for attacks deep into Russian territory in a Time magazine interview published on Thursday, comments that suggest he would alter US policy toward Ukraine.
“It’s crazy what’s taking place. It’s crazy. I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia. Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done,” Trump said in an interview coinciding with him being named Time’s Person of the Year.
President Joe Biden last month lifted the US ban on Ukraine using US-supplied longer-range missiles for strikes deep inside Russia, his latest attempt to boost Kyiv in its battle to repel a Russian invasion force from his country.
The decision came after pleas from Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky. The White House cited Russia’s deployment of 15,000 North Korean troops along the battlefront as the main reason why Biden changed his mind.
Trump has said he would like to bring a quick end to the nearly three-year-old war. He told Time he had a “very good plan” to help but that if he reveals it now “it becomes almost a worthless plan”.
Trump, who takes office on 20 January, met last weekend with Mr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
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Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday there are currently no plans to send foreign troops to Ukraine when a ceasefire is reached and any such decision on Polish troops would be taken in Warsaw.
“We will work with France on a solution that will, above all, protect Europe and Ukraine from resuming the conflict if an agreement can be reached,” he added during a joint presser in Warsaw with French president Emmanuel Macron.
European ministers want ‘tough’ security guarantees for Ukraine, Berlin says
European foreign ministers agree that Ukraine needs long-term security guarantees and will discuss the issue at a meeting in Berlin on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said ahead of the talks.
“Here in this circle, we all agree that Ukraine needs tough security guarantees,” Baerbock said. “This includes long-term military and financial support for Ukraine.”
Baerbock is hosting ministers from Poland, France, Spain, Italy and Britain, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief and Ukraine‘s foreign minister, for a conference focusing on support for Kyiv as well as developments in Syria.
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