Call Putin’s bluff and use Nato to shoot down Russian missiles, says its ex-chief
Air defences based in Nato territory should be used to shoot down Russian missiles and drones attacking Ukraine, a former head of the alliance has said.
Nato could help shield Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from devastating Russian air strikes by firing interceptor missiles from Polish and Romanian soil, Anders Fogh Rasmussen told i.
Cautious figures in European governments may fear that such a move could provoke Russian attacks on the sites involved, potentially triggering open conflict between Vladimir Putin and the West.
But the former Nato secretary general, who wants Ukraine to be made a member of the alliance, believes that Mr Putin would not dare strike Nato defences and argued it was time “to step up our support”.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Rasmussen also:
- Called on Nato to “lift all self-imposed restrictions on our weapons deliveries” to Ukraine, saying that “we have ourselves to blame for the failure to push back the Russians”;
- Argued that Mr Putin is not “crazy” but predicted his regime will “collapse” if Europe is strong and united;
- Warned of the risks that a second Donald Trump presidency poses to the alliance;
- Advocated stronger defences against future Russian space weapons.
The former Danish prime minister, who led Nato from 2009 to 2014, visited Kyiv in January. He has been working with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on proposals to “guarantee Ukraine’s long-term security”.
The pair have announced their plans today at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which Mr Rasmussen founded seven years ago.
One of his most striking suggestions is to “connect the Nato air and missile defence system with the Ukrainian system”.
Russia has launched 46 per cent more drones and missiles in the last six months than in the previous half-year period. Hits on Ukraine’s power stations have led to many blackouts.
The US-made Patriot is Ukraine’s only air-defence system capable of destroying hypersonic and ballistic missiles. But the country has few of the interceptors left, leading President Zelensky to plead for help.
Mr Rasmussen drew inspiration from how American, British and French fighter jets helped Israel’s defence system to “protect against Iranian missiles and drones” on 13 April.
“We could do exactly the same by helping Ukrainians shoot down incoming Russian drones and missiles, to do that located in Nato territory, without deploying troops in Ukraine,” he said. “We could have a good range.”
“We could start protecting the western part of Ukraine much more effectively… We need to protect defence industries in Ukraine. We need to start reconstruction of Ukraine in earnest.”
The French president Emmanuel Macron has even suggested that France could send troops to Ukraine to defend Kyiv if Russian soldiers make a breakthrough. But other leading Western figures want to tread more carefully.
The UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said on a visit to Lviv this month: “I don’t think it is right to have NATO soldiers killing Russian soldiers.”
Mr Putin warned in March that his forces may target “airfields of third countries” if they are used as bases for the F-16 fighter jets which some Nato members are donating to Ukraine this summer.
“They become a legitimate target for us, no matter where they are located,” said the Russian president. He has also said that beginning a fight with Nato could leave Europe “one step away from a full-scale World War Three”.
Some Nato leaders may therefore question whether Russia could also regard any missile batteries targeting its weapons as justifiable targets, potentially leading to dangerous confrontation and the war spilling over borders.
Mr Rasmussen rejected this concern. He said Mr Putin “respects Article Five” of Nato’s founding treaty, which says that an attack on one member is deemed to be an attack on all of them. “He wouldn’t attack Nato missile defence systems operating from Nato territory.”
Poland and Romania, both of which border Ukraine, are armed with Patriot systems. They also host US Aegis bases which the allies say are intended to guard Europe against Iranian ballistic missiles.
“Russia is the aggressor,” argued Mr Rasmussen. “According to Article 51 in the UN Charter, Ukraine has an inherent right to defend itself… Ukraine has a right to ask its allies to help.”
