NATO chief Mark Rutte has chillingly warned that World War III will start with simultaneous invasions from Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

The Secretary-general, Rutte, warned that a potential collaboration between the leaders of China and Russia in carrying out attacks could result in a devastating World War scenario, pushing humanity to the edge of an Armageddon catastrophe. 

According to the NATO chief, China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan – while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks NATO territory, amid fears Putin is anyway eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR.

Russia today hit back at ex-Netherlands premier Rutte, claiming he had ‘gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch’, while warning he should look forward to a future in a hellish Siberian labour camp.

Stressing the urgent need to re-arm and boost military budgets, Rutte told the New York Times in a chilling vision of the future: ‘Let’s not be naïve about this.

‘If Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan, he would first make sure that he makes a call to his very junior partner in all of this, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, residing in Moscow, and telling him, “Hey, I’m going to do this, and I need you to to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory”.

‘That is most likely the way this will progress, and to deter them, we need to do two things’ he added.

Continuing his terrifying account, Rutte said: ‘One is that NATO, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this.

Secretary-general Mark Rutte suggested combined attacks from the Chinese and Russian leaders could trigger a World War nightmare and bring the planet to the brink of Armageddon

According to the NATO chief, China would start by seeking to grab Taiwan – while ensuring the Kremlin dictator simultaneously attacks NATO territory, amid fears Putin is anyway eyeing the Baltic republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, formerly part of the USSR 

Putin pummelled Ukraine with four S-300 missiles and 157 drones, with 127 of the UAVs shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare 

‘And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific – something President [Donald] Trump is very much promoting, because we have this close interconnectedness, working together on defence industry, innovation between NATO and the Indo-Pacific.’

Rutte warned that Putin is rearming at a fast pace, insisting that Western countries must increase defence spending.

‘We have an enormous geopolitical challenge on our hands,’ he said.

‘And that is first of all Russia, which is reconstituting itself at a pace and a speed which is unparalleled in recent history.

‘They are now producing three times as much ammunition in three months as the whole of NATO is doing in a year.

‘This is unsustainable, but the Russians are working together with the North Koreans, with the Chinese and Iranians, the mullahs, in fighting this unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

‘So here, the Indo-Pacific and your Atlantic are getting more and more interconnected. We know that China has its eye on Taiwan.’

Senior Putin security official Dmitry Medvedev – a former Russian president and ex-premier – lashed out on X: ‘Rutte has clearly gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch.

‘He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe.

‘But he’s right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp.’

The warnings came as Russia continued its onslaught on Ukraine – days after Putin informed Trump by telephone that he had no intention of halting his war of invasion.

Senior Putin security official Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) – a former Russian president and ex-premier – lashed out on X: ‘Rutte has clearly gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch

Explosions hit Kyiv and the surrounding region, with multiple people wounded and residential buildings damaged 

Two multi-story buildings were damaged in the Vyshhorod district, the fire destroyed four garage premises and a car, and three more cars were damaged

Putin pummelled Ukraine with four S-300 missiles and 157 drones, with 127 of the UAVs shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare.

Explosions hit Kyiv and the surrounding region, with multiple people wounded and residential buildings damaged.

In Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, a two year old child and a woman, 46, were among those hurt as Putin continued to terrorise civilians, seeking to weaken the population’s resolve.

The Russians also hit Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Apartment buildings were also hit in Kramatorsk in drone strikes.

Ukraine hit back with an attack sea drone seen being destroyed by Russian defences in Novorossiysk Bay in the Black Sea.

Moscow was forced to close its major international airport Sheremetyevo due to the threat of drones.

Rutte praised Trump for seeking to make progress with Putin.

‘He is the one who broke the deadlock with Putin. When he became president in January, he started these discussions with Putin, and he was the only one who was able to do this,’ said the NATO chief.

‘This had to happen. A direct dialogue between the American president and the president of the Russian Federation.’

Yet this had not yet resulted in a peace deal.

‘We are not there yet, and that means that in the meantime you have to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to stay in the fight.’