Not caught up yet so maybe a re post.. more at link.
Former NATO chief: 'Ukraine war is Europe's 9/11' | BNR Nieuwsradio
''FORMER NATO CHIEF: 'UKRAINE WAR IS EUROPE'S 9/11'
''As leader of a nuclear superpower, Russian President Vladimir Putin has become unpredictable and dangerous. Those remarks came from former NATO Secretary General and Dutch Minister of State Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, when interviewed by Dutch broadcasting company BNR. On the other hand, De Hoop Scheffer doesn't believe Putin will use his nuclear arsenal, as it would ensure his own downfall. ‘I do not foresee a war.’ Calling the invasion Europe’s 9/11 and a wake-up call, De Hoop Scheffer stresses that NATO should quickly beef up its military presence in the Baltic States.
''New ball game
De Hoop Scheffer considers the Russian invasion of Ukraine 'a turning point', whereafter things will never be the same again. Europe's own 9/11. The current situation cannot already be called a Third World War, according to De Hoop Scheffer. But 'things will be completely different if Putin decides to put one toe in one square centimetre of NATO territory', he added.
‘When an incident like that occurs, the conflict enters its next phase. NATO as a whole would step into action and. On a scale of 1 to 10, we are now at 7.5. In case of an attack on NATO, we would be well over 9'.
Putin is 'unpredictable'
Asked to what extent he believes Putin can still be considered as rational, De Hoop Scheffer replied that Putin's rationality seemingly 'made way for revisionism and resentment.' 'He is petulant, resentful and full of vengeance. That turns him into an unpredictable leader of a large country and nuclear superpower’.''