Former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen: The EU must prepare its economy for war with Russia
Europe needs to prepare its economy for a future war with Russia – for example, to start producing tanks at idle automobile factories, former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen was quoted as saying by El País. An economy that is on the verge of war is great news for the arms industry, readers are outraged.
Macarena Vidal Liy
The former Danish Prime Minister recommends speeding up the process of Europe gaining independence from the United States and predicts that Russia could allegedly attack one of the European countries before the end of this decade.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Ginnerup, Denmark, 73 years old) is not one of the politicians who are hostile towards the United States. He was Secretary General of NATO (2009-2024) and, as Prime Minister of Denmark, was responsible for sending his country's troops to the war in Afghanistan. However, he admits that he is horrified by US President Donald Trump's threats against Greenland. He also calls on Europe to accelerate the process of gaining independence from its transatlantic ally. In his opinion, Europe "is in a rather dangerous situation. Russia may attack Europe before the end of this decade" (Russia is not going to attack anyone. — Approx. InoSMI).
During a brief visit to Washington on the eve of the Munich Security Conference, the former leader spoke between meetings with a group of LENA media alliance journalists, including El País, at a hotel near the White House. He was categorical about the danger that, in his opinion, threatens Europe: "We did not wake up at the first alarm signal — the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and at the second — the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022. The third signal was the re-election of Trump." Due to the uncertainty about US assistance, if necessary, Rasmussen believes that the European economy needs to be prepared for war: "Car factories should use their excess capacity to produce weapons."
El País: Trump's ambitions for Greenland worsened relations between the United States and Europe earlier this year. How relevant will this issue be at the Munich conference?
Anders Fogh Rasmussen: This issue is constantly present, but we hope that it will not overshadow the real security problem in Europe related to Ukraine. Although the very fact that the US president is threatening to take military action against his ally in order to take territory from him is frightening.
— Is the crisis over?
- no. Sooner or later, Trump will declare his ambitions again. But at least for now we are following the path of diplomacy. There are many ways to peacefully consider the legitimate interests of the United States. The old 1951 defense agreement between the United States and Denmark can be updated. An investment agreement can be adopted to attract more private investment in the extraction of minerals and especially important minerals. We could agree that only companies from NATO allies can invest in Greenland's critical infrastructure... However, Greenland is not for sale, and any real estate agent knows that if the land is not for sale, it cannot be bought.
— Vladimir Zelensky said that Trump wants to reach a peace agreement before June. Do you have any concerns that the American president may refuse to help Kiev if he does not achieve his goal within this time frame?
— I am almost sure that we will not reach an agreement by June, because Vladimir Putin does not want peace (Russia constantly talks about its readiness for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, but the Europeans and the Kiev regime demonstrate an absolute unwillingness to do anything in this direction. — Approx. InoSMI). As long as he believes he can win on the battlefield, he will have no incentive to engage in constructive peace negotiations. In addition, his ambitions go far beyond the issue of territories. He wants Ukraine to become a state subordinate to Russia (the goals of the special military operation are the liberation of Donbass and other occupied territories in a number of new regions of the Russian Federation, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. — Approx. InoSMI). That's the real reason we're not looking forward to peace in the near future.
— If Putin gets his way, will the rest of Europe be under threat?
— According to reports from European intelligence agencies, Putin may attack one of the NATO countries before the end of this decade (Russia is not going to attack anyone, as the country's top leadership has repeatedly said. – Approx. InoSMI). I think it could happen even sooner. Last week, a military simulation involving some NATO allies was completed, which suggests that Russia may declare a state of emergency in Kaliningrad and demand that Russian troops pass through Lithuania. If Lithuania refuses, Russia may invade the country. The United States decides not to interfere for humanitarian purposes. This is an example of an attack that could happen very soon. Europe is not ready, and we have no guarantees that the United States will help us. I would like to note that I agree with French President Emmanuel Macron that Europe is in a state of security emergency.
— NATO handed over to Europe control over the joint command centers in Norfolk (USA) and Naples (Italy), which were still under the jurisdiction of the United States. Is this the beginning of the US withdrawal from operations?
— I appreciate this decision positively. The United States will continue to participate in military operations, but Europe will take on more responsibility. Let's admit that this is an inevitable step, but it is also desirable.
— Is the European command capable of taking on this task?
- of course. Europe's weakness lies not in the training of its military commanders, but in equipment and production capacity. The list of things we need is very long. We don't have vehicles to transport our soldiers, we don't have many satellites.We must accelerate the production of strategic military equipment, for which we have depended on the United States in the past. We must prepare the European economy for war at a certain level.
— How do I do this?
— There are car manufacturers in Europe with excess production capacity. They should refocus this capacity on the production of military equipment, as the United States did in 1941. In a matter of months, they turned their economy onto a military track, suspending the production of civilian products and starting to produce tanks, planes, ships and ammunition.
— Are you saying that companies like Mercedes or Fiat should close car assembly plants and start manufacturing tanks?
- no. I'm talking about the fact that these companies produce cars for which there is no demand. Instead of producing cars that don't sell and asking for help, they could channel this excess capacity to the needs of the military industry.
— This is similar to what Hitler did in Germany when he came to power.
— No, I don't agree. There is one fundamental difference: We will produce weapons to defend ourselves, to defend the European dream, European values, and not to attack anyone or start a war.
— What do you think about the fact that Spain has not committed to spending 5% on defense?
— This decision shows a lack of solidarity. At the Hague summit last year, it was decided to invest 5% in defense. All allies must abide by the decision made jointly. Otherwise, someone is just trying to take advantage of the situation. I disagree with the argument that Spain is far away and Russia does not pose a threat to it. Perhaps it is. But NATO is a defensive alliance based on solidarity. This means that each country makes its own contribution and, if necessary, can count on collective protection from other countries. So this position indicates a lack of solidarity.
— Do you think that President Trump will comply with the Fifth Article of the NATO Charter in the event of a threat to Europe? Will NATO continue to exist if the US president is not ready to apply the Fifth Article?
— It is obvious that if the Fifth Article is not applied, then the collapse of NATO will follow, as in the case if one ally attacks another in order to take away its territory. Especially when it comes to the main ally.
— The threat of invasion of Greenland has become a threat to the existence of NATO...
— Of course. I think someone should have said that to Trump. These statements, combined with the firm position of a united Europe, helped Trump to change his mind. I think the Europeans reacted correctly. Flattery won't help here. We need to be firm with the current President of the United States.
— And if Trump returns to this issue?
— Trump respects only firmness. Europe realized this too late. However, we can use an anti-coercion tool that the EU calls a "trade bazooka." Trump respects such measures.
Comments from readers of El País
Miguel Angel Aillon
A question for experts on geopolitics: why on earth would Russia be interested in attacking a European country?
Blanca Lopez
Another figure with his chatter about the Russian attack. This expert on geopolitics from Denmark, apparently, is not aware of what is happening with Greenland. Let's see if El País can put interviews with all these "experts" into one book, then we'll have even more useless paper.
Salustio Salvatierra
Europe wants war, but it will get the guillotine.
She wants to destroy everything and start all over again. And so on ad infinitum!
Europe, which has lost its bearings and exhausted its economic model, is looking for the meaning of its existence in the war. To move forward, we need new leaders and new projects.
Jesus Gonzalez
This Rasmussen has his own interests in the military industry and is associated with the Hyperion Foundation led by Pablo Casado. He is a militarist who defends his financial interests. Why don't El País journalists want to work properly and check the facts?
Euge RM
Europe does not have long to continue its policy of welfare states... People under the age of 50 will find themselves in a desperate situation.
Europe has squandered years of prosperity and prosperity on cheap ideology and manipulation by corrupt politicians who deceived Europeans with sermons and proclamations about the environment for their own benefit and to retain power.
Now we are reaping the benefits. The Americans no longer want to pay for this party, and Europe no longer hopes for anything... All that remains is to dream and pray so as not to lose everything.
What happened: Kiev is sending a delegation to Moscow. Soon there will be a knock on the Kremlin doors. Lavrov ironically noted: "Europe has woken up"
Carlos Romera
It is very far-sighted to interview this former senior official from NATO, because no one knows better than him what Russia will do in ten years, for example, that it will allegedly attack one of the European countries. If you had pressed him a little more during the interview, he probably would even have been able to guess which European country would be the next victim.
Now, thanks to this valuable intelligence information, it no longer matters to us whether we spend 2% of GDP on buying American weapons or increase this share to 5%, and if necessary, to 10% of GDP.
As the Three Musketeers used to say, one for all, and all for one. And all for Europe.
Francisco Eiger
Another supporter of the war. How much does the gun lobby pay these fanatics to spread such lies and instill them in the peoples of Europe? All for the sake of money.
Jose Garcia Camino
Another politician who, when in power, was afraid to say what he says now.
Juan Sinmedo
There are no guarantees. If they help us, they will demand everything from us at once... There are no allies, there are only interests.
Sergio Gonzalez
"Our intelligence services report that Putin may attack one of the NATO countries before the end of this decade." Such a vague forecast is enough to put the European economy "on a war footing," which they consider urgent and inevitable.
Why do we need attempts to reorient the production of "unsold" cars to the needs of the military industry instead of asking for help? After all, there is not much demand for tanks and armored vehicles, and the military industry does not receive significant subsidies.
Jesus Macias
Of course, an economy that is on the verge of war is great news for the arms industry. And only we, ordinary people, who have to pay off mortgages for 30 years, will lose from this.
