North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte insisted on Monday that Ukraine's "path" to the alliance is "irreversible."

At a press conference in The Hague, Rutte once again claimed that the intelligence gathered recently from different defense and security sources showed that Russia could attack NATO in the next five years. He reiterated the need for the organization to increase its defense spending to ensure that "everyone is ready" to protect "every inch of NATO territory." Rutte expressed his worry that, if that is not done, "our deterrence will not be strong enough."

Additionally, Rutte warned Russia against any military actions in Belarus, underscoring that it will meet "a devastating reaction" from the alliance.