TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Thursday that a conflict involving Taiwan could have repercussions far beyond the Indo-Pacific, saying China could turn to Russia to create a simultaneous security crisis in Europe, per CNA.
Speaking at the annual Conference of the Heads of German Missions in Berlin, Rutte said Europe and the US are increasingly aware that a Chinese move against Taiwan or elsewhere along the first island chain could be accompanied by Russian action in Europe.
“The US is deeply convinced that it is spreading its resources too thinly if we, in Europe, are not stepping up,” Rutte said, noting that Washington also has to address its interests in the Indo-Pacific, per a transcript of his address.
“There is also the realization, increasingly, both in Europe and in the US, that if China were to move against Taiwan or anything in the first island chain, Xi Jinping will first call his junior partner in all of this, which is Vladimir Putin in Moscow, to keep us busy here,” he said.
Rutte said such a scenario could leave the West facing “a serious problem in both theaters," referring to Europe and the Indo-Pacific. “In other words, the Indo-Pacific and Europe are more and more interconnected,” he said.
His warning reflects a concern he has raised repeatedly over the past year: that China and Russia could create simultaneous challenges for Western countries, forcing the US and its European allies to divide their military and political attention between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Rutte made similar comments about the potential for a Chinese attack on Taiwan to coincide with Russian military action against NATO territory. In July 2025, he said Russia could be asked to keep NATO occupied in Europe if China attacked Taiwan. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time said Rutte had warned that China could partner with Russia to create a parallel conflict in Europe.
NATO's official position focuses on collective defense of its 32 member states. However, Rutte's comments about the increasing interconnectedness of the two regions means NATO members cannot consider European and Indo-Pacific security challenges separately.
