NATO is experiencing the most serious crisis in its history after Donald Trump's threats about Greenland and it is time to stop "flattering" towards the American head of state. This opinion was expressed by the former head of the Alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
“This is not just a crisis for NATO, it is a crisis for the transatlantic community as a whole and a challenge for the world, for the international order that we have known since World War II“, the Dane said in a telephone interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Faced with this unprecedented situation in transatlantic relations, Rasmussen, who was also the prime minister of Denmark, called on the current NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and leading European leaders should be much tougher in their responses.
“We need to change our strategy and come to the conclusion that the only thing Trump respects is strength, firmness and unity“, said Rasmussen, who led NATO from 2009 to 2014.
“This is exactly what Europe needs to show that the time for flattery is over. Enough!“, he stressed.
Several European leaders and Rutte are in Davos this week, where they hope to persuade Donald Trump to abandon his threats against Greenland - a territory under the sovereignty of Denmark, which in turn is a member state of the EU and NATO.
Rasmussen still believes that solutions can be found that will make the North Atlantic Alliance stronger. But he warns that by being harsh on his traditional allies, Trump has already caused a "rift" that he believes is beneficial to Russia and China.
"This is a completely new situation, different from any other disagreement we have known in NATO's history," he said.
"If Trump attacks Greenland and takes military action against it, it would de facto mean the end of NATO," the former secretary general added.
According to him, this crisis also has the effect of diverting attention from the war in Ukraine - something that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already warned about.
Rasmussen, who headed the Danish government from 2001 to 2009, called for a "constructive dialogue" with the United States on the issue of Greenland.
Copenhagen and Washington could, for example, update the 1951 agreement governing the deployment of troops in this autonomous territory, open it to American mining companies and agree to exclude Russia and China from there.
“We can agree to all of Donald Trump's demands“, he assured. Except for one: the transfer (from Denmark to the United States) of Greenland, which “is not for sale and as a real estate expert Trump should know that if a property is not for sale, it cannot be bought”, Rasmussen stressed.