On November 6, former NATO Secretary General Anders fogh Rasmussen issued a serious warning, saying that Ukraine is facing the risk of "permanent conflict" and gradually losing its territory.
He said that this situation will continue unless Europe takes more drastic actions to put significant pressure on Russia, including deploying a missile shield on NATO territory to protect Ukraine's infrastructure.
Rasmussen, who was NATO Secretary General (2009-2014) and Danish Prime Minister (2001-2009), made these comments in an interview while mobilizing on the corridor in European capitals. He proposed 3 specific steps.
First, he called for the establishment of a missile shield in NATO territory, for example in Poland, to help Ukraine shoot down Russian drones and missiles. He argued that if Russia attacked these systems, it would be considered an attack on the entire NATO alliance.
Second, he called for the immediate deployment of a "European protection force" into Ukraine, without waiting for a ceasefire agreement. He harshly criticized the allies, saying that the "coalition of ready-made people" has now been reduced to a "coalition of waiting people".
Third, he urged the provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory. Rasmussen believes it could still impact the US supply of Tomahawk missiles - something President Donald Trump has denied. The key is in Germany: If Germany were to take the lead and provide Taurus missiles, it would send a clear signal across the Atlantic and put pressure on the White House, he said.
These calls were made in the context of the US policy on Ukraine being considered "shelved". President Trump has apparently refused to supply Tomahawk missiles and initially planned to meet with Mr. Putin.
Although Trump later canceled the meeting and resorted to imposing sanctions on major Russian oil companies, his general stance is still seen as wanting both sides to resolve the conflict themselves.
Mr Rasmussen concluded that Europe is still not awakened to the threat. He urged the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. He proposed freeing 150 billion euros (about $1.60 billion) in Russian assets at Euroclear (belgium) and using them as a basis for a loan to buy weapons and rebuild. He predicted that European leaders could overcome opposition to the plan, mainly from Belgium.
