Ukraine risks a “forever war” and a gradual loss of territory unless Europe dramatically steps up pressure on Russia, including by deploying troops and creating a NATO-backed missile and drone shield, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned.
In an interview with The Guardian, Rasmussen – who led NATO from 2009 to 2014 – said Europe must act decisively to protect Ukraine.
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He said that if countries such as Poland agreed to host such air defenses, Russia would understand that an attack on them would be an attack on the whole NATO alliance.
“We have to help the Ukrainian [people] protect themselves against Russian missiles and drones by building an air shield helping the Ukrainians shoot down Russian missiles and drones,” Rasmussen told The Guardian.
NATO countries neighboring Ukraine can be the location for a NATO-based air defense and missile system, he said.
Rasmussen also called for the deployment of a European protection force for Ukraine in advance of a ceasefire agreement. He said the “Coalition of the Willing” hoping to assemble such a force for when fighting ends, had been reduced to a “Coalition of the Waiting.”
“If we do not carry out major changes in strategy, we will look into a forever war,” he said.
“Putin has no incentive to engage in peace negotiations so long as he thinks he can win on the battlefield. Changes in speed and mindset are needed,” Rasmussen added.
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Rasmussen, who has forged close links with the Ukrainian leadership, is touring European capitals, including London, where he’ll meet the UK national security adviser, Jonathan Powell. The two men discussed whether the US could provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
“Iron-clad security guarantees would make it easier for Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, to sell a peace deal to his own people that involved the loss of Ukrainian territory,” the article reads, quoting Rasmussen.
He said it was necessary to make dramatic adjustments to force a change in Putin’s mindset.
Apart from the development of a Ukrainian missile and drone shield based in Europe, and the deployment of some European troops into Ukraine, he urged Ukraine to be given long-range missiles to hit more targets inside Russia.
He said it was still possible to reopen discussions on the supply of US Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Donald Trump has not backed, if Germany was willing to be “the first mover” and provide Ukraine with its own Taurus cruise missiles.
“That would send a clear signal across the Atlantic and put pressure on the White House. It is a strong German interest to force Putin to engage in peace negotiations … Taurus is the means to do so,” the ex-NATO chief said.
Rasmussen added that Europe was still failing to grasp the scale of the threat posed by Russia and urged the EU to unlock frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.
He said that the €150 billion ($175 billion) in frozen funds held by Euroclear could serve as a basis for loans to purchase weapons and begin reconstruction.
He predicted that European leaders would eventually overcome objections raised at the last EU Council of Ministers meeting, particularly from Belgium, where Euroclear is based.
“Europe still hasn’t woken up to the threat,” Rasmussen said. “We must act before it’s too late.”
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