Putin could attack a NATO member says Zelensky in chilling new warning

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cautioned that while his country is currently holding back Russia’s aggression, Vladimir Putin could be prepared to strike a NATO member within just a few years. Speaking ahead of this week’s NATO summit, Zelensky urged the alliance to speed up efforts to boost defense budgets, warning that Russia’s long-term plan is to probe NATO’s willingness to honor its Article 5 commitments.

His warning comes as NATO countries prepare to agree to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by the mid-2030s — a timeline Zelensky criticized as too sluggish.

“In my opinion, this is very slow,” Zelensky said. “We believe that by 2030, Putin could have significantly enhanced capabilities. Right now, Ukraine is holding him back. He has no time to train his forces, and they are being destroyed on the battlefield.”

In an interview with Sky News, he continued:

“Putin needs a pause. He wants sanctions lifted. He needs time to rebuild an army — because more than a million of his troops have been killed or wounded. And ten years is a long time. By then, he will have a new army ready.”

Zelensky emphasized that while Putin is unlikely to attack NATO within months, it is only a matter of years before he tests whether the alliance will respond to an attack on one of its members.

Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty requires all allies to defend any member state under attack, treating it as an attack on the entire alliance.

Earlier this week, reports confirmed that NATO nations plan to formally commit to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, more than doubling the current 2% pledge in response to escalating global threats.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump have both repeatedly pressed for higher military budgets, and the new target is expected to be approved at this week’s summit.

The proposed spending would likely be allocated with about 3.5% going to conventional defense — weapons, ammunition, and personnel — and another 1.5% dedicated to infrastructure and support equipment.