“If Russia attacks NATO countries, the energy sector will be one of the main targets,” said Rutte
26 March 17:01
If Russia dares to attack NATO countries, the energy sector will be one of the main targets—this has already been proven by the war in Ukraine. This is stated in NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s 2025 annual report, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine has shown that the energy sector is likely to be one of the main targets in the event of any attack against NATO,” the report states.
Rutte also named Russia as one of the most serious threats to the Alliance and noted that NATO is “learning lessons from Ukraine.”
Mark Rutte emphasized that throughout 2025, Russia tested NATO with “increasingly brazen actions, including airspace violations, sabotage, and criminal cyber activities.” In the context of strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure, the NATO Secretary General mentioned the Baltic Sentinel and Eastern Sentinel missions launched in 2025.
The report mentions the continuation of “practical support” for Ukraine and efforts to achieve “a just and lasting peace.” Mark Rutte recalled the PURL initiative, launched in July 2025.
Rutte also emphasized that NATO is developing plans to integrate the Ukrainian defense industry “into the allies’ industrial ecosystem.”
According to the report, European NATO members and Canada spent a total of $574 billion on defense in 2025—a 20% increase in real terms compared to 2024 figures.
Among European countries, only the Czech Republic and Hungary reduced their defense spending, adjusted for inflation, compared to 2024. The highest increases were recorded in Poland (4.3%), the Baltic states (4–3.4%), Denmark (3.3%), and Norway (3.2%).
For the first time, all 32 allies reached the 2% of GDP defense spending target—a goal set back in 2014.
