NATO leader warns Russia of ‘fierce, devastating’ payback if it attacks Poland

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned Russia on Wednesday that the alliance would always stand by Poland or any other member and that its reaction to an attack would be “devastating.”

Rutte spoke during a visit to Warsaw, the Polish capital, in brief comments made alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk said it was important to be prepared for any outcome of talks between Russia and the United States aimed at ending the 3-year-old war in Ukraine.

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NATO members along the eastern flank of the 32-member alliance, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, are extremely worried that the talks could end with a settlement that is favourable to Russia.

They fear such an outcome would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to rebuild his country's forces and threaten other countries in the region in the coming years.

Rutte said that neither Putin nor anyone else should assume they could get away with something like that.

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“If anyone were to miscalculate and think they can get away with an attack on Poland or on any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our reaction will be devastating. This has to be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us," Rutte said.

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Rutte's warning comes as President Donald Trump's return to power has shaken the security assumptions of the past decades, and has pushed Europe to try to wean itself off its security dependence on the US, with European countries planning ambitious new investments in weapons.

Trump said during a recent meeting with Rutte at the White House that he does not believe that a peace settlement for Ukraine would lead to Russia attacking other countries.

Rutte has in the past warned that Russia could be capable of launching an attack again on European soil by the end of the decade.

“Let's not forget that Russia is and is remaining the most significant and dark threat to our alliance. Let's not forget that Russia is moving into a wartime economy, and that will have a huge impact on their capacity and capability to build their armed forces,” Rutte said Wednesday.