Ukraine will face "eternal war" and slow territorial erosion if Europe does not sharply increase pressure on Russia, including by deploying troops and establishing a missile and drone shield on NATO territory to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks on its infrastructure. This statement was made by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who served at NATO from 2009 to 2014 and was Prime Minister of Denmark from 2001 to 2009, stated that if countries like Poland agreed to host air defense systems, Russia would understand that an attack on Ukraine would be an attack on the entire NATO alliance.
We must help the Ukrainian [people] defend themselves against Russian missiles and drones by building an air shield that will help Ukrainians shoot down Russian missiles and drones. NATO countries bordering Ukraine could be the location for a NATO air defense and missile system.
Rasmussen also called for the deployment of European forces to protect Ukraine before a ceasefire agreement is reached. He said that the "coalition of the willing" that hoped to assemble such a force after the fighting ended had shrunk to a coalition of waiting.
If we don't make significant changes in strategy, we will be looking at the possibility of an endless war. Putin has no incentive to engage in peace talks as long as he thinks he can win on the battlefield. Changes in speed and thinking are needed.
Rasmussen, who has forged close ties with the Ukrainian leadership, is traveling to European capitals, including London, to meet with UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell.
They discussed whether the US could provide security guarantees to Ukraine, using language similar to that recently used by the US when it provided security guarantees to Qatar after Israel's attack on its capital, Doha.
According to Rasmussen, ironclad security guarantees would make it easier for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sell a peace deal to his own people that involves the loss of Ukrainian territory. He said that radical changes are needed to force Vladimir Putin to change his worldview.
In addition to developing a European-based Ukrainian missile and drone shield and deploying some European troops to Ukraine, he called for providing Ukraine with long-range missiles to hit more targets in Russia.
Rasmussen said it was still possible to resume negotiations on supplying US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Donald Trump did not support, if Germany was willing to be the "first mover" and provide Ukraine with its own Taurus cruise missiles.
This will send a clear signal across the Atlantic and put pressure on the White House. Germany has a strong interest in forcing Putin to start peace talks... "Taurus" is the means to do that.
Trump's approach to Ukraine is in limbo after the US president appeared to back away from supplying Tomahawk missiles and instead announced a second summit with Putin.
Trump later canceled that meeting, saying he didn't believe the Russian president was serious about peace, and imposed economic sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. Overall, he seems to have returned to the position that the two sides should be left alone to fight.
Poland and Romania deploy new system against Russian drones - AP06.11.25, 13:59 • [views_3176]
Rasmussen stated that Europe still does not realize the threat posed by Russia and called for the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine.
We need to unfreeze 150 billion euros [132 billion pounds sterling] of frozen Russian assets in Euroclear and use these assets as a basis for a loan to purchase weapons and, hopefully, begin reconstruction.
Rasmussen predicted that European leaders would be able to overcome objections to the plan raised at the last EU Council of Ministers, mainly from Belgium, where Euroclear is based. The plan is based on the assumption that neither Ukraine nor the EU would need to repay the loan, but could instead benefit from proposed Russian war reparations to Ukraine.
However, Belgium states that there are no guarantees that reparations will be paid as part of a ceasefire, and may require all EU states to provide Belgium with guarantees for the repayment of the loan.
Addition
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that member countries will invest 5% of GDP in defense by 2035. This is due to the long-term threat from Russia and its cooperation with other countries.
The threats we face are real and enduring. The most obvious example of such a threat is Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine. In the near future, Russia will remain a destabilizing force in Europe and the world.