NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has once again publicly challenged Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Axar.az informs speaking at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Rutte warned that if Moscow were “so idiotic” as to attack the Alliance, the open war that would follow between Russia and NATO would be “very different” from the conflict that has raged in Ukraine for nearly four years.

Known for his straightforward style, the Dutch leader — a veteran politician — did not shy away from provoking Moscow, which remains locked in a bloody war of aggression against Ukraine. Nearly four years into the conflict, the front lines have seen little movement since late 2022.

“We hope it never happens,” Rutte said, “but if Russia were so idiotic as to attack us, it would mean open war between Russia and NATO. It would be different from the war between Russia and Ukraine, for many reasons I can’t go into now — we don’t want to give them any informational advantage — but it would be different.”