General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has made a chilling statement: Europe and the US must actively prepare for a future war against China and Russia, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping will push Russia to attack NATO when he decides to invade Taiwan.
He says that the European Union and the US have at most two and a half years to prepare for was, naming 2027 as a year of major crisis.
He has been confident enough to publicly declare that he believes that Xi Jinping, in order to attack on Taiwan, will force Russian to attack NATO countries, as its satellite, in order to distract global attention.
Assuming this is true, that leaves the western world around 18 months or more prepare for a global military conflict.
Unfortunately, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has confirmed that he also thinks Russia would be canon fodder for China — however, this speculation seems debatable.
He said that if Russia were to attack a NATO member within five to seven years, it would begin with Estonia.
However, Rutte also said that Russia knows that if it were to attack, then NATO’s “reaction would be devastating”.
The main focus is readiness: there is a risk of possibility, but not inevitability. Military prudence mustn’t be translated into prophecy.
For people living in Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, or generally around Russia, this will be a heightened military presence and increased government spending on defense. Inflation we’ve already been seeing, particularly in Romania, since the conflict in Ukraine.
While it’s good to stay prepared, looking towards the past may soothe some of our anxieties: during the Cold War, there were constant reports of an invasion that never came. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 without firing a single shot into NATO territory. Let’s hope history repeats itself.
