NATO chief warns of potential war with Russia: Prepare now

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to "wipe Ukraine off the map" and may set his sights on other parts of Europe.

Over 1 million people have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine - this data was presented during a Thursday speech in Brussels.

Each week, over 10,000 people on each side are killed or wounded, said the head of NATO. He described the events in Ukraine as the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.

The true number of casualties in the war in Ukraine continues to be controversial. Recently, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that about 43,000 Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, and 370,000 have been wounded, though half of them have returned to service. Donald Trump mentioned 600,000 killed and wounded on the Russian side and 400,000 on the Ukrainian side. The British magazine The Economist estimated Ukraine's losses at 60,000-100,000 killed. Journalists from the BBC and Mediazona confirmed over 78,000 Russians killed on the front.

In his speech in Brussels, Rutte called for preparing for war with Russia in the medium-term perspective.

"We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," the politician said. "What is happening in Ukraine could happen here too," he emphasized.

Currently, as Rutte continued, "imminent military threat" from Russia does not exist, but Russia is preparing for a "long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us."

The NATO Secretary General urged alliance members to "shift to a wartime mindset" and increase military spending to a "turbo" level. "We can prevent the next great war on NATO territory," he said.

"If we don’t spend more together now to prevent war, we will pay a much, much, much higher price later to fight it. Not billions, but trillions of euros. That’s if we come out on top, and that’s if we win," warned Rutte.