NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte issued a stark warning to Western allies about the reality of the threat posed by Russia, as negotiations are making slow progress to end the war in Ukraine and the U.S. pressures Kyiv to make painful compromises with the Kremlin, including on territorial concessions.

The Kremlin said on Sunday that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's remarks about preparing for war with Russia were irresponsible and showed that he did not really understand the devastation wrought by World War Two.

Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk and Odesa, damaging three Turkish-owned civilian vessels and escalating regional tensions. Ukrainian officials said the attacks targeted civilian logistics using drones and ballistic missiles,

Former Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said after the Ukraine war, Europe must be ready for further Russian aggression.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte chastised some allies for moving too slowly when it comes to ramping up defense spending.

MI6 chief to deliver remarks on Monday warning ‘chaos is a feature not a bug in the Russian approach’; European leaders to join day two of talks in Berlin. What we know on day 1,391

But Ukraine’s leader griped that overall, the negotiations aimed at ending Kremlin’s deadly aggression aren’t about giving his people a “fair” deal.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Thursday that members of the alliance could be “Russia’s next target,” calling for a rapid rise in defense spending to prevent a war similar to those seen by past generations.

Choice to send Steve Witkoff highlights Washington's growing urgency to bridge remaining gaps with Kyiv over plan's terms