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NATO chief Mark Rutte has warned Russia that an attack on alliance member states would result in a devastating response for them.
In a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Rutte praised Sweden for its work in stopping the Russian shadow fleet.
"Let's be clear, our ability to defend any ally is absolute. If someone gets mad and attacks us, our response will be devastating ," Rutte said.
The Secretary-General also commented on the United States' decision to reduce troops in Europe, saying he was not too concerned. "It is right that we create new balances," he said.
Rutte has hinted that the US is expected to make further announcements in the coming days regarding plans to "rebalance" the alliance and reduce NATO's excessive dependence on the US.
The expected changes relate to the NATO force model, a structure that includes troops and military capabilities ready to be used in the event of a major conflict or crisis.
The news was initially reported by Reuters, which announced that the US administration is preparing to reduce some of the military capabilities it would have available to support European allies in emergencies.
Asked by Swedish public broadcaster SVT about these changes, Rutte said he is not "concerned" about these developments.
Speaking about the need to rebalance the alliance, Rutte said that the changes expected to be announced by the US this week and next are "fully feasible" and directly related to the process that NATO launched last year to increase defense spending by member countries.
"This is exactly why we started this process last year and reached conclusions in The Hague regarding defense spending," Rutte said.
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