Trump is a bigger threat to Nato than Putin, says alliance’s former commander
D.Donald Trump poses a greater threat to NATO is better than Vladimir PutinIn a scathing attack on Washington, one of the alliance’s former commanders said: foreign policy.
US president raises alarm after incident a series of aggressive movements including this year Nicolas Maduro’s capture in Venezuela threats invade greenland and the controversial claim that European troops in Afghanistan were “not on the front lines”.
General Sir Richard Shirreff, NATOformer Deputy Supreme Allied Commander EuropeHe said Trump threatened Military intervention in Greenland Even after the US president, he was ‘definitely not a fuss’ He promised not to use force To capture the island, which is the territory of NATO member Denmark.
“We have to take it literally. With Trump, as with Putin, we have to assume the worst will happen,” he said. Independent. “Trump is a bigger threat” [to Nato] If you want to make a comparison. “It is Trump who will receive the award.”
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump shook hands at their meeting last year (AFP/Getty)
Shirreff, who is now chairman of Healix’s International Security and Risk Advisory Board, said Trump is “destroying the international order.” first year of second term. “It is also on track to destroy the only alliance that has guaranteed transatlantic security for 77 years,” he added.
The former British Army officer said Trump was offering Putin two of his most cherished foreign policy goals “on one platter”.
“It has isolated America from the security of Europe and is effectively keeping NATO below the waterline because of its threat.”
Shirreff said Putin posed an “existential threat” to Europe, but his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 united NATO and “brought the international order closer together.”
Brigadier General Richard Shirreff, commander (PA) of the 7th Armored Brigade in Kosovo during the conflict in the late 1990s
Meanwhile, he added, Trump had turned the global rules-based system into a “dead duck.” “Obviously Putin threatened this massively, but Trump attacked the only alliance that ensures our security.”
In the US, Trump has been ridiculed for what critics call a “TACO” approach to politics; Which means Trump Has Always Been a Coward. He has recently threatened military intervention in both Greenland and Iran; Then he took a step back and started looking for diplomatic solutions.
However, Shirreff said that threats alone, especially against Greenland, would be enough to seriously damage Washington’s alliances in NATO.
“The leading country of the alliance has threatened the territorial integrity of another member of the alliance… how do you move forward and rebuild trust? No one will trust Trump again, and we have three more years for that.”
In response to the instability, Shirreff advised NATO to “Europeanize” and seek strategic and military independence from the United States, especially for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Donald Trump backed off threats against Greenland after Davos, but Shirreff said the threat was bad enough on its own (Getty)
Other experts dispute Shirreff’s conclusion about which leader poses the greater threat to NATO.
Jon B Alterman, director of global security and geostrategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, acknowledged Putin’s war had a “unifying effect” on NATO but argued Trump was “more open to persuasion” by NATO allies.
He said Trump’s foreign policy and attacks on NATO reflect the concerns many Americans have about the U.S. role abroad. Earlier this month, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that he “saved NATO.”
“This is an old American complaint,” Alterman said. Independent. “European states are now looking for alternative arrangements and these talks certainly weren’t happening a year ago. The international order needs to rethink its response, it has been a rather one-sided affair for some.”
Trump speaks with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte (AFP/Getty)
Gabriel A Giménez Roche, associate professor of economics and finance at NEOMA Business School, said: popularity in polls It could serve as a check on Trump’s unbridled global ambitions.
“Trump’s confrontational stance towards Europe lacks strong support among American voters,” he says. “Polls consistently show skepticism towards allies turning against each other, talk of annexation and escalating trade conflicts – a sentiment that could have electoral consequences.”
But Putin can benefit from this uncertainty by default. “If European companies or American voters don’t benefit, the answer is worrying. The real beneficiary, it seems, is.” Vladimir Putin“The strategic interests of a distracted United States, a divided transatlantic relationship, and a Europe forced to re-evaluate its dependence on Washington are served.”
White House spokesman said Independent: “President Trump has done more for NATO than anyone else. America’s contribution to NATO dwarfs that of other countries, and its success in meeting the 5 percent spending commitment from NATO allies is helping Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense.”
“The United States is the only NATO partner that can protect Greenland, and in doing so the President advances NATO’s interests.”
