Nieuws 2025

 

NATO’s Rutte says Europe must prepare for ‘scale of war our grandparents’ endured

If Putin is “prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?” the NATO chief said.

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“We are Russia’s next target. And we are already in harm’s way,” Mark Rutte said on Thursday during a speech in Berlin. | Clemens Bilan/EPA

December 11, 2025 3:53 pm CET

 

By Nette Nöstlinger

NATO Chief Mark Rutte urged member countries to do more to prepare for the possibility of large-scale war, warning that Russia may be ready to attack the alliance within five years.

"We are Russia's next target. And we are already in harm's way," Rutte said on Thursday during a speech in Berlin. "Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured."

Although he welcomed the decision by NATO members to increase overall military spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product annually by 2035, Rutte argued more needed to be done, saying alliance members must shift to a “wartime mindset."

“This is not the time for self-congratulation," Rutte said. "I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now."

Rutte warned Russia may be strong enough to attack NATO territory sooner than many assume.

“NATO’s own defenses can hold for now, but with its economy dedicated to war, Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years,” he said.

Rutte underscored his plea for urgency by arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had already exhibited a willingness to sacrifice the lives of Russian soldiers in large numbers, claiming that over one million Russian troops had been killed since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Putin is paying for his pride with the blood of his own people," Rutte said. "And if he is prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?”

Rutte also said the Kremlin would not be able to sustain its war on Ukraine without help from China.

“China is Russia's lifeline. Without China's support, Russia could not continue to wage this war,” he said, “About 80 percent of critical electronic components in Russian drones and other systems are made in China. So, when civilians die in Kyiv or Kharkiv, Chinese technology is often inside the weapons that kill them.”

 

Source:

 

https://stopthecrime.net/

 

Je zei:

How many nations are there

 

There are 195 countries in the world today. This total includes:

  • 193 member states of the United Nations (UN).

  • 2 observer states: the Holy See (Vatican City) and Palestine.

Some territories and regions may be considered countries by certain definitions or have limited recognition, but the 195 figure is generally accepted internationally.

 

Listing all 195 countries can be quite a bit, but here’s a list of all the recognized sovereign nations in the world, as of now:

Africa (54 Countries)

  1. Algeria

  2. Angola

  3. Benin

  4. Botswana

  5. Burkina Faso

  6. Burundi

  7. Cabo Verde

  8. Cameroon

  9. Central African Republic

  10. Chad

  11. Comoros

  12. Congo (Republic of the Congo)

  13. Democratic Republic of the Congo

  14. Djibouti

  15. Egypt

  16. Equatorial Guinea

  17. Eritrea

  18. Eswatini (Swaziland)

  19. Ethiopia

  20. Gabon

  21. Gambia

  22. Ghana

  23. Guinea

  24. Guinea-Bissau

  25. Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)

  26. Kenya

  27. Lesotho

  28. Liberia

  29. Libya

  30. Madagascar

  31. Malawi

  32. Mali

  33. Mauritania

  34. Mauritius

  35. Morocco

  36. Mozambique

  37. Namibia

  38. Niger

  39. Nigeria

  40. Rwanda

  41. São Tomé and Príncipe

  42. Senegal

  43. Seychelles

  44. Sierra Leone

  45. Somalia

  46. South Africa

  47. South Sudan

  48. Sudan

  49. Tanzania

  50. Togo

  51. Tunisia

  52. Uganda

  53. Zambia

  54. Zimbabwe

Asia (49 Countries)

  1. Afghanistan

  2. Armenia

  3. Azerbaijan

  4. Bahrain

  5. Bangladesh

  6. Bhutan

  7. Brunei

  8. Cambodia

  9. China

  10. Cyprus

  11. Georgia

  12. India

  13. Indonesia

  14. Iran

  15. Iraq

  16. Israel

  17. Japan

  18. Jordan

  19. Kazakhstan

  20. Kuwait

  21. Kyrgyzstan

  22. Laos

  23. Lebanon

  24. Malaysia

  25. Maldives

  26. Mongolia

  27. Myanmar (Burma)

  28. Nepal

  29. North Korea

  30. Oman

  31. Pakistan

  32. Palestine

  33. Philippines

  34. Qatar

  35. Russia

  36. Saudi Arabia

  37. Singapore

  38. South Korea

  39. Sri Lanka

  40. Syria

  41. Taiwan

  42. Tajikistan

  43. Thailand

  44. Timor-Leste

  45. Turkey

  46. Turkmenistan

  47. United Arab Emirates

  48. Uzbekistan

  49. Vietnam

Europe (44 Countries)

  1. Albania

  2. Andorra

  3. Armenia

  4. Austria

  5. Azerbaijan

  6. Belarus

  7. Belgium

  8. Bosnia and Herzegovina

  9. Bulgaria

  10. Croatia

  11. Cyprus

  12. Czech Republic (Czechia)

  13. Denmark

  14. Estonia

  15. Finland

  16. France

  17. Georgia

  18. Germany

  19. Greece

  20. Hungary

  21. Iceland

  22. Ireland

  23. Italy

  24. Kazakhstan

  25. Kosovo

  26. Latvia

  27. Liechtenstein

  28. Lithuania

  29. Luxembourg

  30. Malta

  31. Moldova

  32. Monaco

  33. Montenegro

  34. Netherlands

  35. North Macedonia

  36. Norway

  37. Poland

  38. Portugal

  39. Romania

  40. Russia

  41. San Marino

  42. Serbia

  43. Slovakia

  44. Slovenia

  45. Spain

  46. Sweden

  47. Switzerland

  48. Ukraine

  49. United Kingdom

  50. Vatican City (Holy See)

North America (23 Countries)

  1. Antigua and Barbuda

  2. Bahamas

  3. Barbados

  4. Belize

  5. Canada

  6. Costa Rica

  7. Cuba

  8. Dominica

  9. Dominican Republic

  10. El Salvador

  11. Grenada

  12. Guatemala

  13. Haiti

  14. Honduras

  15. Jamaica

  16. Mexico

  17. Nicaragua

  18. Panama

  19. Saint Kitts and Nevis

  20. Saint Lucia

  21. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  22. Trinidad and Tobago

  23. United States

Oceania (14 Countries)

  1. Australia

  2. Fiji

  3. Kiribati

  4. Marshall Islands

  5. Micronesia

  6. Nauru

  7. New Zealand

  8. Palau

  9. Papua New Guinea

  10. Samoa

  11. Solomon Islands

  12. Tonga

  13. Tuvalu

  14. Vanuatu

South America (12 Countries)

  1. Argentina

  2. Bolivia

  3. Brazil

  4. Chile

  5. Colombia

  6. Ecuador

  7. Guyana

  8. Paraguay

  9. Peru

  10. Suriname

  11. Uruguay

  12. Venezuela