THE Secretary General of NATO has delivered a stark warning to Spain that Russia poses a threat to all member states.
Speaking in Luxembourg on Friday following recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, Mark Rutte dismissed the notion that western European cities like Madrid and London are safer than those on the alliance’s eastern borders.
He told the audience that the latest Russian missiles travelling at five times the speed of sound could reach Madrid or London in just five to ten minutes – barely longer than the time needed to strike Tallinn or Vilnius.
“I don’t like this idea that if we live in Madrid or London, we will be safer than if we live in Tallinn. And that is not true,” Rutte declared, emphasising that all 32 NATO countries now ‘live on the flank’.
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The warning comes after NATO fighter jets were scrambled in the early hours of September 10, shooting down multiple Russian drones that violated Polish airspace, during what Poland’s military called an ‘unprecedented’ breach.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to boast about its Oreshnik hypersonic missiles, which can reach speeds of Mach 10-11.
Vladimir Putin has publicly boasted about the weapons since their first deployment against a Ukrainian military facility in November 2024, marking what experts see as a significant escalation in Russian military capability.
The timing of Rutte’s comments is particularly meaningful for Spain, which has only recently begun to emerge as a credible NATO partner after decades of defence spending reluctance.
Spain finally hit the alliance’s long-standing target of spending 2% of GDP on defence only last month – a remarkable 43.1% increase that brought investment to over €33 billion.
This milestone came just weeks before Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attended the christening of Spain’s new frigate Bonifaz in Ferrol, Galicia, hailing it as proof of the country’s commitment to European security.
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The vessel, the first of five F-110 class frigates costing almost €5 billion, was described by Defence Minister Margarita Robles as ‘one of the most modern and capable multipurpose frigates in the world.’
Spain has impressed some commentators with its recent transformation from NATO problem child to serious contributor.
Especially as the country’s left-wing political establishment has traditionally argued that Spain’s geographical position makes substantial military investment unnecessary.
The scale of this challenge is enormous for a country whose left-wing politicians have long argued that ‘our threat is not Russia bringing its troops across the Pyrenees’.
The achievement of the 2% target has faced fierce resistance from Sanchez’s coalition partners, with the left-leaning Sumar party opposing increased military spending and Podemos rejecting it outright.
Podemos General Secretary Ione Belarra has called the defence spending increases ‘a catastrophic mistake’, even wearing a ‘no to war’ T-shirt to parliament.
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Podemos remains ‘opposed to any increases in military spending and supports the withdrawal from NATO of Spain’, while Sumar’s parliamentary spokesperson Veronica Barbero has argued it’s ‘not so much about increasing military spending as it is about making military spending more efficient’.
This domestic opposition explains why Spain was historically NATO’s lowest defence spender at just 1.28% of GDP – a position that left Sanchez facing intense pressure from allies and prompted him to describe the alliance’s 5% target as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘counterproductive’.
But that view has now been challenged by the reality of hypersonic weapons technology and Moscow’s incursion into NATO airspace.
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As a resident of Spain, we want nothing to do with Ukraine, and wholeheartedly wish to be OUT of NATO, and the EU as well. So many in Europe are likewise tired of the Brussels bureaucratic dictatorship !
Thank you !
How naive! Spain is not remote from the rest of the world and comments like “opposing increased military spending ” “rejecting it outright” and “a catastrophic mistake” coming from politicians is evidence of head in the sand mentality.
Given that the world hosts thankfully only a small number of dictators bent on expansion of their empires, there is no choice for peace loving nations other than to show serious deterrent measures.