Rutte says Nato faces no imminent threat but remains prepared for Russian aggression

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said there is no imminent threat to the alliance's territory, while stressing that Nato remains prepared to respond to any Russian aggression. "Please stop being so worried, we are prepared for this... there is no imminent threat to Nato territory," Rutte said, according to reporting relayed through the Guardian's live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rutte's comments come amid heightened concern in parts of Europe about the possibility of Russian military action beyond Ukraine, following a string of incidents and tensions along Nato's eastern flank. His remarks were intended to reassure the public while reaffirming that the alliance's defensive posture remains active.

Ukraine's mounting war costs

Separately, Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said the country's total war costs are expected to reach $155bn this year. He said Kyiv is struggling to close a $27bn gap in funding needed to sustain combat operations into the start of 2027.

According to Koretskyi, the government intends to cover roughly $7bn of that shortfall by postponing certain expenditures, reallocating funds from other areas of the budget, and reducing some costs. The remaining $20bn gap, he said, is the subject of ongoing talks with international partners, according to a Reuters report cited in the Guardian's coverage.

Koretskyi did not specify which partners are involved in the discussions or when an agreement on covering the remaining funding might be reached.

Context

Ukraine's financing needs have been a recurring theme in talks between Kyiv and its Western partners, who have provided billions of dollars in military and budgetary support since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The scale of the gap described by Koretskyi underscores the continued strain on Ukraine's finances as the war persists.

The comments from both Rutte and Koretskyi were part of a broader live update on developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, which continues to weigh on European security discussions and on Ukraine's economic planning as it approaches its fourth year of full-scale conflict with Russia.