NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned Russia on Wednesday that the alliance will always stand by Poland or any other member and that its response to an attack would be "devastating," the "Associated Press" quoted him as saying.
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 for Europe to be prepared for any outcome of talks between Russia and the United States aimed at ending the three-year war in Ukraine.
NATO members on the 32-member alliance's eastern flank, especially Poland and the Baltic states, are extremely concerned that the talks could end in a settlement that is favorable to Russia. They fear that such an outcome would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to rebuild his country's power and threaten other countries in the region for years to come.
Rutte said neither Putin nor anyone else should assume that they can get away with something like that.
"If someone miscalculates and thinks they can get away with attacking Poland or any other ally, they will be met with the full force of this fierce alliance. Our response will be devastating. "That should be very clear to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and anyone else who wants to attack us," Rutte said.
Donald Trump said during a recent meeting with Rutte at the White House that he did not believe a peace agreement on Ukraine would lead to Russia attacking other countries.
Rutte has warned in the past that Russia could be in a position to launch another attack on European soil by the end of the decade.
"Let us not forget that Russia is and remains the most significant and darkest threat to our alliance. Let us not forget that Russia is moving towards a wartime economy and that will have a huge impact on their capacity and ability to build up their armed forces," Rutte said on Wednesday.