Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto says Putin may not stop in Ukraine and Europe and NATO are preparing for that possibility

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin may not intend to stop in Ukraine, citing Moscow’s military expansion as a reason Europe and NATO are preparing for a wider security threat.

Crosetto made the remarks in an interview with the BBC at Italy’s Defense Ministry in Rome, published Friday, October 17. He said Russia is directing a large share of its resources toward weapons and the military and is moving toward a force of 1.5 million personnel. “If the war ended tomorrow, what would Putin do with 1.5 million soldiers?” he asked.

“This gives me the impression, since he continues to accelerate, that he would not want to stop in Ukraine,” Crosetto said. He added that the concern is particularly acute among eastern European countries closest to Russia and said: “That is why, as Europe and NATO, we are preparing.”

Crosetto said NATO’s purpose is to defend every member state if attacked and warned that failure to do so would undermine the alliance. He argued that the consequences of such a collapse would be greater for Europe than for the United States.

He also criticized Europe’s fragmented political structure, asking who can genuinely speak for the continent when authority is divided among 27 EU governments, the UK and other European states. Crosetto questioned how the influence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen compares with that of leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni, saying Europe has spent more than a year discussing how to establish a single political voice without resolving the issue.

On the war itself, Crosetto said Ukraine “will never be able to win” if victory is understood as militarily defeating Russia or marching on Moscow. He said his objective is Ukraine’s survival and an end to the war, defining a Ukrainian victory as Russia ending its attacks and Ukraine remaining free to determine its future.

Crosetto said most Italian public opinion opposes further aid to Ukraine but that the government has delivered 12 assistance packages and is likely to approve another by the end of the year. He said governments cannot simply follow public opinion when they believe it is wrong.

On U.S. strategy, Crosetto said he believes President Donald Trump now sees China as his principal global competitor, with technological and industrial supremacy at the center of the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.