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Modern Russian Missiles Can Hit Any Part of Europe Within Minutes, Rutte Warns
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that allies cannot feel safe simply because they are not in direct geographical proximity to Russia, stressing that distance is irrelevant in the era of modern missile technologies, according to Ukrinform correspondent on September 2.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Luxembourg with Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Defense Minister Yuriko Backes, Rutte underscored that the Russian threat is increasing daily and concerns all of Europe, not only states bordering Russia.
“The threat from the Russians grows every day. Let’s not be naive about this. It may one day concern Luxembourg and my own country, the Netherlands. Right now, we think we are safe, that we are far away from Russia, but in reality, we are very close—especially in the context of Russia’s latest missile technologies. For example, the difference between Lithuania and Luxembourg, The Hague or Madrid is between five and ten minutes—that’s how long it takes for a missile to reach these parts of Europe,” Rutte said.
The NATO chief also reaffirmed US commitment to the Alliance, highlighting that Washington views Russia as a long-term threat to the entire Euro-Atlantic region.
“They understand deeply, and from all my conversations in Washington I can feel it, that for the United States to be safe, the Atlantic, Europe, and the Arctic must also be safe—otherwise the US itself, even the continental part, would be at risk,” Rutte said.
Secretary General noted that the United States also faces challenges from the Indo-Pacific region, which further binds it to NATO. He emphasized that following the NATO Summit and the commitment to allocate 5% of spending to defense, including 3.5% to core defense elements, Washington had fully reaffirmed this pledge.
Earlier, the Russian army carried out a large-scale overnight drone attack on Bila Tserkva in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, killing at least one person and causing extensive destruction.
