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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 security guarantees from the United States. He stressed that Europe needs to be able to stand on its own two feet.
" What we are witnessing now is the disintegration of NATO, and that is dangerous. President Trump has raised so many doubts about his commitment to Article 5 and the defense of Europe that there can only be one conclusion for Europeans: we must stand on our own two feet and be able to defend our continent ourselves ," Rasmussen told WELT.
Rasmussen proposed the creation of a formalized “coalition of the willing,” a group of European countries willing and able to organize the continent’s defense independently.
" Neither the EU nor NATO is currently suited to strengthening a European pillar within the alliance. Europe needs new defense plans and new military capabilities and must increase the production of weapons and ammunition," he said.
The remarks actually 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 that meet strict criteria.
"NATO countries that meet the five percent defense spending target should be able to participate, commit to a security guarantee similar to Article 5, and prevent individual states from being able to block military operations. And there should be a mechanism to exclude members that do not meet these conditions ," Rasmussen said.
However, Rasmussen said that NATO would continue to play a central role, but added that conventional defense should be something that Europeans must provide for themselves.
"I still believe that NATO will remain the cornerstone of our defense and the ultimate guarantee of security is the American nuclear umbrella. But conventional defense is something that we Europeans must be able to provide ourselves ," the former NATO chief added.
He also called for Ukraine to be integrated into a future European security framework as a full member of the proposed new alliance, as its experience in the war with Russia is needed.
"Now we are also seeing how quickly Ukraine is developing new weapons and ammunition. We need them as a shield against Russia ," Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen, who was in Berlin for talks with political leaders, said he had discussed the idea but had not yet received strong support.
"Yes, I am having a lot of discussions. So far, I don't have any strong commitments. But someone has to get the issue moving ," Rasmussen said.
He added that he would "very much welcome" if German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, took the lead.
Rasmussen's call marks a significant shift for a politician long associated with strong transatlantic ties. As Danish prime minister, he supported the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and as NATO chief he consistently advocated a strong American leadership role within the alliance. The change of course, he said, had not come easily.
" Very painful. Since my childhood, I have admired the United States and seen it as the natural leader of the free world ," Rasmussen said when asked how it feels to rethink Europe's security essentially without Washington.
Rasmussen added that Europe must reduce its 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 ," he said.
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