Wes Streeting warns that the United Kingdom and NATO must be prepared for a possible war with Russia

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned in Warsaw on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “testing” NATO’s resolve and that the United Kingdom must be prepared for the possibility of a direct conflict with Russia. He made the remarks during a press conference alongside his Polish counterpart.

Streeting said that London does not want a war with Russia and that NATO is a defensive alliance, but stressed that Putin’s current statements must be assessed in light of remarks he made before the invasion of Ukraine, which were followed by contrary actions.

The British official reaffirmed that NATO is prepared to defend every inch of its territory and that support for Ukraine will continue. He added that stronger military preparedness reduces the risk of a conflict breaking out.

The warning comes two weeks after MI5 Director Ken McCallum described Russia as the main aggressor and accused Moscow of waging a hybrid war in Europe, seeking to remain below the threshold for a collective NATO response. According to him, the Kremlin is pursuing the destabilisation of European states, while military advances in Ukraine are limited and costly.