NATO chief Mark Rutte Photo: AFP
NATO chief Mark Rutte has urged allies to step up defence efforts to prevent a war waged by Russia, adding that it could be "on the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured".
In a speech in Berlin, Rutte said too many allies of the military alliance did not feel the urgency of Russia's threat in Europe and that they must rapidly increase defence spending and production to prevent a war on the scale of that seen by past generations.
"We are Russia's next target," he said, "I fear that too many are quietly complacent.
"Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now.
"Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared," Rutte added.
Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years, he said.
Germany's foreign minister has also called for more support for Ukraine from European allies.
Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany this year had become Ukraine's biggest supporter in terms of military and other assistance, adding that "more allies, more allies in Europe, need to urgently step up".
Rutte said that more than two-thirds of NATO member states had committed to providing weapons to Ukraine through the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).
"We heard from Australia and New Zealand, who will also contribute to PURL, the first NATO partners to do so.
"And this means that allies and partners have already committed now over $US4 billion ($NZ6.8b)."
European Union governments are expected to agree on Friday to freeze Russian central bank assets immobilised in Europe for as long as necessary, replacing the need to vote to renew the freeze every six months, EU diplomats said.
The move is the basis for the EU's plan to use Russian sovereign assets in the EU to finance a loan to Ukraine that would keep it funded in 2026 and 2027, allowing the country to continue defending itself against Russia's invasion.
It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was preparing to send the US revised proposals to end Russia's war.
Zelensky said that Washington's earlier 28-point plan, which had suggested Kyiv give up territory to Moscow, had been reduced to 20 points after US-Ukraine talks at the weekend.
-ABC/Reuters
