Rasmussen urges a new European defense bloc to stand on its own
Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says NATO is eroding and Europeans should form a formalized, coalition-style European defense bloc that could include Ukraine, with strict membership rules (countries meeting roughly 5% of defense spending and committing to an Article‑5–like guarantee) while NATO remains the security anchor backed by the U.S. nuclear umbrella. He envisions Europe ramping up weapons production and defense capabilities, reducing dependence on the U.S., Russia, and China, and integrating Ukraine into a future security framework. He’s seeking political backing from European leaders, though no firm commitments have been made yet.