Ex-NATO chief warns Trump not to make Ukraine his Afghanistan

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen has cautioned US President-elect Donald Trump against making Ukraine “his Afghanistan” while suggesting Trump’s unpredictability might actually benefit Ukraine, Euronews reports.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s push for a quick cease-fire in the Russo-Ukrainian war would favor Russia by freezing the conflict with Moscow retaining control over occupied Ukrainian territories. Current NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer earlier emphasized that supporting Ukraine’s military efforts is essential to preventing a Russian victory.

In an interview with Euronews, Rasmussen said:

“I have a very clear message to the new President [of] the US, Trump. I would say to him, don’t let Ukraine become your Afghanistan, don’t let Putin defeat you,” he said, urging Trump to be a strong leader.

Rasmussen further emphasized Trump’s winning mentality:

“He does not like to be a loser, he wants to be a winner. And to be a winner you need to have [a] good deal.”

According to Rasmussen, this could translate into increased weapons support for Ukraine and lifting restrictions on weapons use.

“Putin might be negatively surprised by Mr. Trump,” Rasmussen told Euronews.

Regarding peace settlements, Rasmussen advocated strongly for Ukraine’s NATO membership.

“It must be a settlement which will guarantee stability for Ukraine. In my opinion, it will mean to allow Ukraine to become [a] member of NATO and to be covered by Article 5,” he said, referring to NATO’s collective defense principle.

The former NATO chief, who now leads a Global Foundation with offices in Copenhagen, Brussels and Kyiv, called for increasing NATO members’ defense spending from 2% to 3% of GDP, suggesting this Cold War-era level would be more appropriate for current circumstances.

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