NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warns an 'alliance of authoritarian powers' including Russia, Iran and China are working against the West

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has warned the West's enemies are working more closely as an 'alliance of authoritarian powers' including Russia, Iran and China.

He described growing links between those three countries as well as North Korea in efforts to undermine Western democracies, in a world which has become 'much more dangerous'. 

Russia's president Vladimir Putin, whose country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, shook hands last October at a summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Mr Stoltenberg's warnings came as two former defence ministers suggested Britain had failed to prepare for war in a 'whole-nation endeavour', amid fears of an all-out conflict with Russia.

Outgoing armed forces minister James Heappey revealed only Ministry of Defence officials turned up to an exercise to prepare for wartime scenarios which was meant for the whole of Government.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says the West must stand up against an 'authoritarian' alliance

Russia's president Vladimir Putin, left, shook hands last October with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a meeting in China's capital Beijing

He called on ministers to do more to prepare for conflict just weeks after resigning his MoD post.

Ben Wallace, the Conservative former defence secretary, agreed with his colleague, and said too many in Government were 'just hoping everything will go away'.

Mr Stoltenberg told the BBC this morning he hoped Nato's allies would agree a long-term funding deal for Ukraine by July - but indicated President Volodymyr Zelensky's under-siege nation might have to decide on some 'kind of compromises'.

Speaking as Nato marks its 75th anniversary, Mr Stoltenberg - head of the organisation for the past 10 years - said the world was now 'much more dangerous, much more unpredictable' and 'much more violent'.

And he cautioned about what he called an 'authoritarian' alliance providing each other with 'more and more aligned' practical support.

Mr Stoltenberg said: 'China is propping up the Russian war economy, delivering key parts to the defence industry, and in return Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing.'

He also accused Russia of giving technology to Iran and North Korea in return for ammunition and other military supplies. 

He insisted: 'Even if we believe and hope that the war will end in the near future, we need to support Ukraine for many years, to build their defences to deter future aggression.'

But he also warned: 'At the end of the day, it has to be Ukraine that decides what kind of compromises they're willing to do.

'We need to enable them to be in a position where they actually achieve an acceptable result around the negotiating table.' 

Earlier, writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Heappey - who quit the Government last month - said the UK was behind allies who had taken steps to reinforce citizens' preparedness for war.

Britain has failed to prepare for war in a 'whole-nation endeavour', ex-defence ministers have warned. Pictured: Soldiers line-up during a combined NATO and US Army exercise in Poland last May

Outgoing armed forces minister James Heappey (pictured) revealed that only Ministry of Defence officials turned up to an exercise to prepare for wartime scenarios which was meant for the whole of Government

Ben Wallace (pictured), the Conservative former defence secretary, agreed with his colleague, and said too many in Government were 'just hoping everything will go away'

He gave the example of Sweden, where the government has handed out a booklet explaining what to do in a time of war, including which emergency food provisions to store.

Mr Heappey wrote: 'It's a stark reminder that war is a whole-nation endeavour and, to be frank, in the UK we're a very long way behind.'

The former soldier, who resigned as a minister at the end of March, said ministers across the Government needed to explain how Britain would feed itself during a war, and how public services would work.

The Conservative MP said not enough figures within Government were considering these preparations.

He pointed to a 'whole of Government exercise' which Mr Wallace had 'pushed hard for' while serving as defence secretary, aimed at getting ministers and officials into a war bunker to see what their working environment would be.

'In the end, rather depressingly, it was just defence ministers, senior military officers and MoD officials that participated,' Mr Heappey wrote.

Mr Wallace told the Telegraph: 'The growing instability and insecurity directed at Britain and her allies means that the whole of society needs to make a step change towards recognising that our core duty is to think about our defence and our resilience.

'It's how we used to think during the Cold War, and everyone from local government to the MoD played their part.'

The former ministers have warned that Britain must wake up to Russia's threat amid Vladimir Putin's (pictured) invasion of Ukraine

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says Russia is providing technology to Iran and North Korea in return for ammunition and other military supplies - Russia's president Vladimir Putin is pictured here meeting Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in July 2022

North Korea - whose leader Kim Jong Un is seen here, centre, in the country's Hwaseong district last Friday - has also been identified in an 'alliance of authoritarian powers'

While Mr Wallace claimed the MoD had made such a change, he added 'there are too many people in Government and society relying on just hoping everything will go away'.

It comes as the Government reviews its contingency plans for an all-out war as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East rage on. 

The intervention from the two long-serving defence ministers also came as Rishi Sunak faces pressure to increase defence spending.

Conservative MPs have urged the Prime Minister to raise this to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product, while Mr Heappey wrote in the Daily Mail how it should be lifted to three per cent.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden today rejected criticisms from Mr Wallace and Mr Heappey that the UK was unprepared for the possibility of war.

He told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show he agreed Britain faced 'rising threats' from across the globe but, on their claims of Government inaction, 'I think they are wrong.

'We are taking action across the board. We have set up a national cyber-security centre in respect of cyber. I now take dozens of decisions daily about investment to protect our economic security.

'This world is going to get more dangerous as time goes on - we see a combination of hostile states, not least Russia, Iran, North Korea and China.

'We need to be taking action across those areas. Of course there is always more to do, but I believe we are making good progress against rising threats.'

An Ukrainian explosive technician examines the site of the explosion after a missile strike in Kharkiv on April 6 amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine

A local resident carries his dog at a site of a Russian air strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, today

Ukrainian servicemen of 63rd brigade are seen yesterday at an artillery position of a US M777 howitzer in the direction of Kreminna in Ukraine

A Government spokesman told the Telegraph an extra £24billion would invested in the armed forces between 2020 and 2025, which he described as the largest sustained investment since the Cold War.

He added: 'The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies and scenarios, with plans and supporting arrangements developed, refined and tested over many years.'

The Government has launched a national resilience framework aimed at equipping citizens with more information about how to survive in crisis scenarios.

Late last year Mr Dowden suggested people should stock up on candles, first aid kits and battery-powered torches and radios to prepare themselves.