"Ukraine will not be Vladimir Putin's last target," warned Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the new chairman of NATO's military committee, calling on European allies to double their weapons production to prepare for war.

He also said that history has shown that the Russian leader cannot be trusted and that NATO will "watch Putin" while peace talks on Ukraine are underway.

Cavo Dragone believes that member states must do more, but also that NATO is prepared for a conflict in which it would surpass Russia's conventional defense capabilities and nuclear weapons reserves if tensions escalate.

"Ukraine will not be his final target," the NATO admiral warned, alluding to Putin and his launch of Russia's war in Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Asked if the alliance is stronger than Russia, he said: "Yes, from a conventional point of view, and yes, from a nuclear point of view, I think so, because the American, British and French capabilities are stronger."