Amid Russia's Threat To Europe, Trump 'Weakened' The West: Former NATO Head

Donald Trump's presidency has “significantly” weakened the Western alliance and undermined Ukraine's ability to hold off Russia, according to former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 

Rasmussen expressed his concerns ahead of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, telling Politico, "He has played his cards very badly." 

He criticised Trump's approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including agreeing to hand over Ukrainian territories to Russia and lift sanctions without pressing Moscow for meaningful sacrifices. Despite these concessions, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains unwilling to negotiate a deal to end the war.

Rasmussen is skeptical about the prospects of a ceasefire and negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, given Trump's recent pressure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed willingness to meet with Putin in Istanbul, but Putin has refused to agree to a ceasefire before talks. 

Rasmussen believes "the Russians are playing games" and that there's a "chess game about who will get the attention of President Trump." He predicts the fighting will continue, even though Trump has said that he wants to end the war.

The Western alliance is facing a crisis of confidence, partly due to Trump's stance on NATO. Trump's suggestion that the US might not fulfill its Article 5 obligation to defend fellow alliance members if defence spending is too low has undermined confidence in NATO.

Rasmussen agrees with intelligence assessments that Russia could attack the EU in the coming years, emphasising the need for European countries to increase defence spending and support Ukraine. In response, Rasmussen's think tank, the Alliance for Democracies, recommends doubling NATO's defense budget target from 2% of GDP and mobilising €400 billion to boost military spending.

The impact of Trump's presidency on the Western alliance might lead to a reevaluation of how democracies collaborate, he said. Rasmussen suggests creating a new "D7" grouping of democracies, including the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, to form a "formidable force to resist coercion from China or the United States."