Rutte: Putin Could Target Estonia in 5–7 Years if NATO Falters

In an interview with The New York Times, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte issued a stark warning: Estonia — a NATO member — could become Vladimir Putin’s next target within the next five to seven years if the Alliance fails to invest adequately in defense, The Gaze reports.

Responding to a recent New Yorker article that described a bleak training scenario in Estonia where NATO forces struggled to counter a simulated Russian invasion, Rutte said:

“What The New Yorker described there is right, but it’s not a wake-up call, because we have all the plans in place that if Estonia will be attacked — and the Russians know this — our reaction will be devastating.”

He emphasized the importance of credible deterrence, hinting at classified plans NATO has already prepared:

“I cannot go into all the details, because Vladimir Putin, I know, is watching these programs. But we have to make sure that we not only have those plans but we also have the people and the military gear to back it up.”

While Rutte reassured that NATO would respond collectively, including U.S. forces, if Estonia were attacked, he pointed to a crucial long-term vulnerability:

“Putin knows this. This is why he will not attack Estonia today. But he might in five or seven years if we would not make all these extra investments.”

When asked whether he was confident that the U.S. — under the Trump administration — would uphold its commitment to NATO’s Article 5 (mutual defense), Rutte was unequivocal:

“One hundred percent. I have no doubt at all… absolutely no shiver of a doubt that the U.S. is completely committed to NATO, is completely committed to Article 5.”

Still, Rutte acknowledged one persistent issue in the transatlantic alliance:

“There is one big irritant, and that is the fact that the Europeans have not paid their fair share.”

Read more on The Gaze:  Is the World on the Brink of World War III?