TRANSCRIPT
From NATO’s new secretary-general a frank warning for the world.
"I'll be honest, the security situation does not look good. It's undoubtedly the worst in my lifetime, and I suspect in yours too."
Mark Rutte says the West must be clear eyed about the ambitions of Beijing.
“China is substantially building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons, with no transparency and no limitations. From 200 warheads in 2020, China is expected to have more than a thousand nuclear weapons by 2030.”
Echoing the words of incoming U-S President Donald Trump, he urged alliance members to up their defence spending from the current 2 per cent of GDP target.
Pointing out Russia will commit around a third of its entire budget to military spending next year.
“I can tell you, we are going to need a lot more than two per cent. We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years. Danger is moving towards us at full speed. We must not look the other way. We must face it. What is happening in Ukraine could happen here, too.”
There was no mention of potential NATO membership for Ukraine which Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes would bring what he calls the ‘hot phase’ of the war to an immediate end.
Today he is visiting troops on the frontline near Zaporizhia.
“You're defending Ukraine, our families, all Ukrainian families, our fatherland. We thank you.”
Some European leaders are already discussing the possibility of their troops operating inside Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force should a truce with Russia be reached next year.
French President Emmanuel Macron raising the issue on a visit to Warsaw.
"There can be no security in Europe without Europeans, and that is the importance of the debates that we have and are ongoing."
However his host, Poland’s Donald Tusk, was non-committal.
"President Macron is aware of this, we talked about it, decisions concerning Poland will be made in Warsaw and only in Warsaw. For now, we do not plan such actions.”
Hungary’s Viktor Orban, seen as the European leader closest to Vladimir Putin, has suggested a temporary Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine.
The Kremlin says it supports the proposal. Kyiv has accused the Hungarian Prime Minister of undermining Western unity.
