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NATO Head Says "Wartime Mindset" Needed; Redirect "Pensions, Health, Social Security" To Military Spending

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was this year selected as the Secretary General of NATO, has stated that Europeans need to “shift to a wartime mindset” and that military spending must be increased, likely at the expense of things like health care.

Rutte made the remarks at, ironically, a meeting of The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Brussels, declaring that Russia is trying to “crush our freedom and way of life.”

“Hostile actions against Allied countries are real and accelerating… These attacks are not just isolated incidents. They are the result of a coordinated campaign to destabilise our societies and discourage us from supporting Ukraine,” he added.

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Rutte further asserted that Russia is using unconventional “hybrid warfare” attacks against Europe, circumventing NATO’s traditional defence and bringing “the front line to our front doors. Even into our homes” .

“Ukrainians are fighting against Russian swarms of drones. That’s what we need to be prepared for”, Rutte told the conference.

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Rutte’s call to institute a wartime mindset among Europeans was also recently echoed by Admiral Rob Bauer, the most senior military officer at NATO who said that “luxuries” will have to be sacrificed for freedom.

“If you ramp up your deterrence and if you ramp up support to Ukraine, nthere will be less money to spend on other things. It will take away some of our luxuries, it will require sacrifice,” Bauer stated.

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