Ukraine will spend 10 times more on its defense than NATO countries in 2025; the EU is not ready for war with Russia.

Next year, Ukraine will spend about 25% of its GDP on defense, which is 900% more than European NATO allies’ average, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during a keynote speech in Brussels.

“This is a harsh reminder that freedom does not come for free. If we do not spend together now to prevent war, we will pay a much higher price later for participating in hostilities. Not billions, but trillions of euros. And this is if we prevail, if we win…” the head of the Alliance said.

According to him, security needs now require the allies to spend much more than 2% of their respective GDPs on defense. Rutte also added that “Russia is preparing for a long-term confrontation with Ukraine and with us”.

“We are not ready for what is coming our way in four or five years. It is time to shift to a wartime mindset and dramatically increase our defense production and defense spending,” he stressed.