NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with German media on Saturday, called on Europeans to increase arms production in order to increase supplies to Ukraine and prevent a confrontation with Russia “that could last for decades,” according to France Presse.

Less than a week before the meeting of NATO defense ministers, which will take place in Brussels on February 15 and 16, Jens Stoltenberg insisted that “we must quickly rebuild and develop our industrial base to increase the volumes supplied to Ukraine and to replenish our own stocks.”

“This means a shift from slow production in peacetime to fast production in conflict,” Stoltenberg told Sunday’s German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

We must be prepared for a confrontation that could last decades

“There is no immediate military threat against an ally (NATO). But at the same time, the Kremlin constantly threatens NATO countries,” Stoltenberg noted.

Emphasizing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago showed that “peace in Europe is not a given,” he emphasized the importance of protecting the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.

“As long as we invest in our security and stand together, we will continue to deter aggression,” he said.

“NATO does not seek war with Russia, but we must be prepared for a confrontation that could last for decades,” Stolteberg warned.

Stoltenberg’s statement came after several countries, especially in Eastern Europe, recently warned that the Russian president could expand the conflict he started in Ukraine.

Most recently, on Friday, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamys said that the statements of Vladimir Putin, who in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson ruled out the possibility of Russia invading other countries after Ukraine, “do not inspire confidence ” and ” do not let down the vigilance” of Poland.

Commander of the Romanian army: Russia will not stop there

Romania’s new Chief of Defense Staff, General Giorgice Vlad, who has been in office since November 2023, warns that the Romanian army does not have the necessary law to prepare the population to fight the expansion of the war in Ukraine, as well as to act in proportion to the existing military danger.

He stated that he is “more than convinced that President Putin’s policy will intensify in the next period.”

“Yes, the population of Romania, like the entire population of the European Union, Europe, should be worried and we should take the appropriate measures to be ready,” said the head of the Europa Libera Army.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu reacted when asked about the claims, saying that “Romania does not risk being drawn into a war.”

“However, we are a country on the brink of conflict, we cannot be careless,” Nikolay Chuke said.

Medvedev spoke about an asymmetric war with NATO

Dmitry Medvedev, the vice president of the Security Council in Moscow, said on Wednesday that Russia would have to fight an “asymmetric” war in the event of a military conflict with NATO and that this would mean “the end of everything”.

A senior Russian official wrote on his Telegram channel that statements by Western politicians about an “imminent military conflict” with Moscow are “very dangerous” and that Russia “has repeatedly stated that it has no such plans.”

The Russian official also acknowledged that the military potential of Russia and NATO is “incomparable”, saying that the total military budget of Western countries could reach 1.5 trillion dollars.

Medvedev threatened that Moscow’s response would be asymmetric, with ballistic and cruise missiles armed with “special warheads,” referring to Russia’s world-largest nuclear arsenal.

Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, Russian officials and key figures in Kremlin propaganda have for the past two years made various more or less veiled threats to attack NATO countries and constantly reminded that Russia is a major nuclear power.

We must be ready for a conflict with Russia, Western leaders have warned

This Monday, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamys became the latest official in Europe to warn that his country must urgently prepare for the threat of war with Russia.

“I expect any scenario and take the worst seriously. This is the task of the Minister of Defense in the situation we find ourselves in today,” Kosinyak-Kamysh said.

Kosiniak-Kamish’s comments on Monday came after several senior officials from countries including Britain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands warned that their countries and the EU should be prepared for conflict with Russia.