The head of Nato has said it is time to "shift to a wartime mindset", as he warned the military alliance's members were not spending enough to prepare for the threat of a future conflict with Russia,
BBC reports.
Secretary general Mark Rutte said Moscow was "preparing for long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us", describing the current security situation as the worst in his lifetime.
"We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," he said in his first major speech since becoming secretary general in October, urging members to "turbocharge" their defence spending.
His comments come weeks before president-elect Donald Trump takes office, having previously suggested the US would not protect Nato allies that were failing to spend enough on defence.
Nato members have pledged to spend at least 2% of the value of their economies - measured by GDP - on defence per year by 2024.
But speaking at an event in Brussels, the former Dutch prime minister said "a lot more" would be needed as danger "[moves] towards us at full speed".
He said European members had spent upwards of 3% of GDP on defence during the Cold War.
"If we don't spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later to fight it," he said.
He added that Russia's economy was "on a war footing", with its defence spend by 2025 set to be "a third of Russia's state budget – and the highest level since the Cold War".
