Rutte: ‘Russian hypersonic missiles can hit Rome in minutes’

 -Russian hypersonic missiles, NATO alert: ‘Europe is entirely on the eastern front’-

Russia poses a direct and immediate threat to the whole of Europe. The new Russian hypersonic missiles, warned NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, ‘can hit European cities in a matter of minutes’. Speaking at the Atlantic Alliance’s parliamentary assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Rutte stressed that ‘the new Russian technology is capable of striking Rome, Madrid or any other NATO capital at five times the speed of sound’.

The Alliance leader explained that this military capability completely changes the strategic perception: “Thinking in terms of the eastern or Mediterranean flank is now obsolete. We are all on the eastern flank now,‘ he said. Addressing MP Lorenzo Cesa, Rutte added: ’We need to develop new capabilities to eliminate these missiles, which we cannot yet do today.”

The NATO Secretary General then reiterated the allies’ economic commitment: “We are not spending 3.5 or 4% of GDP on defence, but 5%. And we are not doing this to please the United States, but to protect ourselves.‘ He then praised Italy and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, calling them ’great friends of NATO,” and recalled the role of Italian parliamentarians in supporting collective security.

Rutte then drew attention to recent violations of NATO airspace by Russian aircraft and drones, praising the conduct of the Italian F35s deployed in Estonia: ‘If they pose a threat, we can implement the definitive solution. Otherwise, we escort them out, as your pilots wisely did.’

While acknowledging that Russia ‘is not as strong as it pretends to be,’ Rutte reiterated that ‘it remains deeply dangerous’ and that ‘NATO must neither underestimate nor overestimate its capabilities.’ According to the Secretary General, the war in Ukraine has taken a heavy toll on Moscow: “More than a million Russians killed or wounded. They thought they would crush Kyiv in a few days, but we are now in the fourth year of war.”

The conflict, he explained, has worn down the Russian military apparatus, also reducing its naval presence in the Mediterranean: ‘The Russian task force is now fragmented and in retreat. The hunt for Red October has become a hunt for the nearest mechanic.’ However, Russia continues to conduct sabotage, espionage and cyberattacks against NATO countries.

‘The home front and the front line are now one and the same,’ Rutte concluded, announcing new NATO investments in critical infrastructure protection, cyber defence and civil preparedness. ‘The more informed our citizens are, the better they will be able to respond to Russian threats.’

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(Photo: © AndKronos) Russian hypersonic missiles