Rasmussen: No security for Ukraine without European troops

>Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned that Ukraine cannot be guaranteed protection from future Russian aggression unless European nations deploy troops on Ukrainian soil.

>Speaking to BBC Newsnight on 19 August, the former Danish Prime Minister said the coming weeks would be decisive.

>“The next two weeks will be decisive when it comes to building a European coalition of the willing to deploy troops to Ukraine. Let’s face it, there will be no ironclad security guarantees, there’ll be no guarantee against a future Russian attack on Ukraine without European troops deployed on Ukrainian soil. And that should be decided within the next two weeks,” Rasmussen told presenter Paddy O’Connell.

>Reflecting on Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which occurred during his time as NATO Secretary General, Rasmussen admitted regret over the West’s reaction. “NATO and the international community reacted too hesitantly, too mildly … I think we should have reacted militarily already back in 2014/15 to send a very clear message to Putin.”

>He also said Western leaders had long underestimated Vladimir Putin, arguing that the Russian leader’s KGB background shaped his outlook and methods. “I believe that Putin has all the way through been the same. He grew up in KGB. He is an educated and very skilled KGB agent, and he still behaves like a KGB agent.”

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Rasmussen: No security for Ukraine without European troops

>Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned that Ukraine cannot be guaranteed protection from future Russian aggression unless European nations deploy troops on Ukrainian soil.

>Speaking to BBC Newsnight on 19 August, the former Danish Prime Minister said the coming weeks would be decisive.

>“The next two weeks will be decisive when it comes to building a European coalition of the willing to deploy troops to Ukraine. Let’s face it, there will be no ironclad security guarantees, there’ll be no guarantee against a future Russian attack on Ukraine without European troops deployed on Ukrainian soil. And that should be decided within the next two weeks,” Rasmussen told presenter Paddy O’Connell.

>Reflecting on Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which occurred during his time as NATO Secretary General, Rasmussen admitted regret over the West’s reaction. “NATO and the international community reacted too hesitantly, too mildly … I think we should have reacted militarily already back in 2014/15 to send a very clear message to Putin.”

>He also said Western leaders had long underestimated Vladimir Putin, arguing that the Russian leader’s KGB background shaped his outlook and methods. “I believe that Putin has all the way through been the same. He grew up in KGB. He is an educated and very skilled KGB agent, and he still behaves like a KGB agent.”

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