Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Nato secretary general, has declared that Ukraine is 'militarily the strongest nation in Europe' and called for a European coalition of the willing, including Ukraine, to defend the continent. The proposal comes amid concerns that US support for European defence may waver under President Donald Trump.
Coalition of the willing to fill potential US gap
Rasmussen, who served as a close adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, outlined his vision at a seminar on European defence on Monday. He proposed a coalition of European countries capable and willing to defend the continent, led by nuclear powers France and the UK. This coalition would act as an insurance force if Trump suddenly removes US troops and European partners are not ready to fill the gap.
A coalition of 45 states is already theoretically poised to provide reassurance and training inside Ukraine in the event of a peace settlement with Russia. Rasmussen's concept expands this to cover all of continental Europe's security.
Nato summit to agree new spending targets
Rasmussen's proposal came two days before a meeting of five leading European defence powers in Berlin on Wednesday, aimed at drawing up a common defence strategy ahead of a Nato summit in Ankara on 7 July. The summit is expected to agree a new target of €70bn (£60bn) extra spending for Ukraine over two years, with contributions counting toward individual countries' commitments to spend up to 5% of GDP on defence by 2035.
European defence officials partly back the target to highlight how support for Ukraine is concentrated on five states: Germany, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Ukraine as an asset, not just a recipient
'However this conflict ends, we still have an aggressive Russia and we need Ukraine as a bulwark against that aggressive Russia,' Rasmussen said. 'Ukraine today is militarily the strongest nation in Europe. It's battle tested, battle hardened.' He urged Europe to view Ukraine as an asset that can contribute to European security, rather than just a country needing help.
Rasmussen acknowledged that European leaders detected a change in Trump's attitude toward the war in Ukraine at the G7 summit in Evian last week. But he added: 'I think we should stop just reacting to what we think Trump might say or do. Time has come now to make our own decisions without taking into account how Trump would react.'
US defence review and European confidence
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a review of US troop numbers in Europe, but at the military level there is confidence that any drawdown will not be sudden enough to leave European security at risk. Rasmussen noted that the Iran-US conflict, in which Russia supported Iran, may have stimulated new thinking about Russia in the White House.
The Nato summit in Ankara aims to harness potential for a new approach, driving home that neither Nato nor the US will abandon Ukraine, leaving Russian President Vladimir Putin with a deficit-laden economy and no option but to negotiate.
Ukraine's defence industry and European integration
Rasmussen said he was encouraged by indications that Ukraine will receive licences to manufacture US-designed weapons, including interceptor and long-range missiles, inside Ukraine. Ukrainian defence leaders also call for lifting European bureaucratic constraints that prevent integration of Ukraine's fast and cheap defence industry with Europe. Changing the defence ecosystem is seen as more important than helping individual firms.
Rasmussen cautioned against the EU moving prematurely to appoint its own negotiator with Russia, a topic that divided the last EU heads of state meeting. 'Before even thinking about appointing someone to negotiate on behalf of Europe, we should ensure that he or she will negotiate from position of strength,' he said.
Ukraine's battlefield innovations
Asked why Ukraine has made progress on the battlefield, Rasmussen said: 'We spent too many months discussing the delivery of battle tanks, fighter jets, everything. But gradually we have stepped up. But first and foremost, the Ukrainians themselves have been very innovative in developing hi-tech military capabilities, mainly drones and other kinds of hi-tech military stuff.'
