NATO chief gives chilling prediction on how he thinks WW3 could start

It comes as conflicts around the globe continue to escalate.

He believes that the catastrophic event would come about thanks to Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin leading invasions.

According to Rutte, China would look to invade Taiwan, while Putin would attack NATO territory, and both attacks would trigger all-out war that could place the world on the edge of an absolute catastrophe.

He offered his chilling prediction in an interview with the New York Times.

Rutte said: "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.

“One is that NATO, collectively, being so strong that the Russians will never do this.

“And second, working together with the Indo-Pacific - something President Trump is very much promoting, because we have this close interconnectedness, working together on defence industry, innovation between NATO and the Indo-Pacific.”

Russia has hit back at Rutte's comments, saying he had "gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch" and threatened him with time in a Siberian camp.

Rutte added that the world is experiencing an "enormous geopolitical challenge" right now.

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.”