Defense companies sold off Monday after Kyiv offered to drop its NATO ambitions during negotiations in Berlin.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a stern warning to the organization’s allied nations on Thursday, suggesting they stand as “Russia’s next target” after Ukraine. Rutte delivered the sobering message that NATO countries are “already in harm’s way” during a keynote address at a Berlin event hosted by the Munich Security Conference.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte chastised some allies for moving too slowly when it comes to ramping up defense spending.

Former Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said after the Ukraine war, Europe must be ready for further Russian aggression.

If Putin is “prepared to sacrifice ordinary Russians in this way, what is he prepared to do to us?” the NATO chief said.

U.S. officials reportedly said that they remain unsatisfied with the progress allies are making when it comes to bolstering their own capabilities.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Thursday that members of the alliance could be “Russia’s next target,” calling for a rapid rise in defense spending to prevent a war similar to those seen by past generations.

The US has given Europe until 2027 to take over the decisive bulk of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities, ranging from intelligence to missiles, Reuters reported on Friday, citing people it didn’t name.

The diplomat questioned whether Europe would be a dynamic economy or just somewhere Americans visit for lovely wines, cheeses and beers

The European Union has set a target of making the continent ready to defend itself by 2030. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

US lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday on a sweeping annual defense bill bolstering European security, in a direct rebuke of President Donald Trump's threats to walk away from the continent and his statements casting doubt on NATO's future.