US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker has warned that allied countries should prepare for a possible Russian attack on a nation within the organisation. His warning follows a report from the Wall Street Journal which claimed to have acquired leaked US intelligence indicating that Vladimir Putin's country could launch a limited attack, either a land incursion or cyberattack, within the next few years, according to the Wion news outlet.
Whitaker: 'You can't predict what Vladimir Putin's going to do'
"You can't predict what Vladimir Putin's going to do or any adversary. All you can do is be prepared for it and deter and make it not worth their time to make that move," Whitaker said.
"And I think we are preparing every single day to prevent that from happening, and if it does happen, to be ready for it."
NATO's collective defence pledge
NATO is a 32-member alliance established in 1949 to counter the threat of Soviet aggression. The organisation now focuses on safeguarding member nations through a collective defence pledge, whereby an attack on one member is regarded as an attack on all.
Whitaker did not directly comment on the Wall Street Journal report, which said that Putin could have the ability to attack a NATO nation much sooner than the previous assessment of 10-15 years.
Russia's repeated threats against the UK
Russia has repeatedly threatened attacks on the UK for assisting Ukraine in the more than four-year-old war. Earlier this week, Putin commented on the UK's decision to provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow blueprints.
In response to a question on whether his country was weighing up possible strikes on British military sites, the Russian leader said it is a "military secret". He made no further comment.
Last month, Russia's embassy in London accused Britain of becoming "an accomplice and co-perpetrator" of the attacks and of "deliberately opting for an escalation" in the conflict.
NATO's defence spending commitments
The ongoing war with Ukraine has transformed the Russian economy and led to rapid expansion of its defence production capabilities, according to Western intelligence, while NATO allies have operated in a peacetime economy. But NATO appears to be preparing for a possible attack.
In 2025, the allies agreed to allocate up to 5 per cent of their annual GDP towards defence by 2035. At least 3.5 per cent has to go towards defence.
"We need to exercise, as it matters. We need to prepare, we need to invest in capabilities," Whitaker told USA TODAY.
