China could use Russia to attack NATO in order to divert U.S. attention from the Indo-Pacific region and try to take over Taiwan, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview with The New York Times. "Let's not be naive: if Xi Jinping decides to attack Taiwan, he will first call his junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who lives in Moscow, and say, 'Listen, I'm going to do this, and I need you to distract their attention in Europe by attacking NATO territory,'" Rюттe said.
In his opinion, the likelihood of such a scenario is growing, and it could come to fruition in 5-7 years. To prevent this, the Alliance members need to do two things: become so strong that the Russians would never consider such a move, and actively collaborate with the Indo-Pacific region in the fields of defense industry and innovation. "We face a significant geopolitical challenge. First of all, it is Russia, which is increasing its military power at a rate unparalleled in recent history. It is currently producing three times more ammunition in three months than all NATO countries produce in a year," Rюттe said. He also noted that Russia is also cooperating with North Korea, China, and Iran in its war against Ukraine, making the Indo-Pacific region and the Atlantic Ocean increasingly interconnected.