Ex-nato Chief Rasmussen Warns Of ‘disintegration’ Of Alliance, Calls For New European Defense Bloc

Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called for a new European defense alliance, arguing that NATO in its current form is no longer sufficient as doubts grow over U.S. security guarantees.

“What we are witnessing right now is the disintegration of NATO, and that is dangerous,” Rasmussen told WELT, which is — as is POLITICO — part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network. “President Trump has raised so many doubts about his commitment to Article 5 and to the defense of Europe that there can be only one conclusion for Europeans: we must stand on our own feet and be able to defend our continent ourselves.”

Rasmussen proposed creating a formalized “coalition of the willing” — a group of European countries ready and able to organize the continent’s defense independently. “Neither the EU nor NATO are currently suited to strengthen a European pillar within the alliance,” he said, arguing that Europe needs “new defense plans and new military capabilities” and must “ramp up the production of weapons and ammunition.” The remarks effectively call into question whether NATO’s existing regional defense plans — the operational backbone of the alliance’s Article 5 collective defense commitments — remain viable in a scenario of reduced U.S. involvement.

Under his proposal, participation would be limited to countries meeting strict criteria. “NATO countries that meet the target of five percent defense spending should be able to participate, commit to an Article 5–like security guarantee, and prevent individual states from being able to block military operations,” Rasmussen said. “And there needs to be a mechanism to exclude members who do not meet these conditions.”

However, Rasmussen said NATO would continue to play a central role. “I still believe that NATO will remain the cornerstone of our defense, and the ultimate security guarantee is the American nuclear umbrella,” he said. But “conventional defense is something we Europeans should be able to provide ourselves.”

He also called for Ukraine to be integrated into a future European security framework as a full member of the new proposed alliance. “We are now also seeing how quickly Ukraine develops new weapons and ammunition,” Rasmussen said. “We need it as a bulwark against Russia.”

Rasmussen, who was in Berlin for talks with political leaders, said he had discussed the idea but had yet to receive firm backing. “Yes, I am holding many discussions. So far, I have no firm commitment. But someone has to get the issue moving.”

He added that he would “very much welcome it” if German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, were to take the lead.

Rasmussen’s call marks a significant shift for a politician long associated with strong transatlantic ties. As Danish prime minister, he backed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and as NATO chief he consistently defended a strong American leadership role within the alliance.

The change in course, he said, had not come easily. “Very painful,” Rasmussen said when asked how it feels to rethink Europe’s security essentially without Washington. “Since my childhood, I have admired the United States and seen it as the natural leader of the free world.”

But, he added, “we must adjust our strategic thinking and reduce our dependence on the strongmen of this world — on Trump, Putin, Xi Jinping.” For too long, “we Europeans have relied on cheap energy from Russia, cheap goods from China, and cheap security from the United States. This model no longer works.”

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