“Instead of worrying about Donald Trump,” Europeans should form a “coalition of the willing” against the Russian regime under President Vladimir Putin, according to an open letter from politicians, ex-military personnel and experts.
The Europeans must defend their interests “regardless of what the US does” – with ground troops if necessary. Poland could join the Baltic states, Scandinavian countries, Britain, France, Canada and the Netherlands, the letter said.
The signatories, including Austrian political scientist Gustav Gressel, German military expert Carlo Masala, former US General Ben Hodges, ex-Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and exiled former world chess champion and Kremlin critic Garri Kasparov, call for Ukraine to provided with weapons to victory over the Russian army. They further demand the seizure of all frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine’s victory. There is also a demand for expanding air defense over western Ukraine. “The coalition states could then use this protective shield to station their own troops on site,” an initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron to deploy Western ground troops is also being adopted.
The demand for security guarantees and NATO membership
Security guarantees and Ukraine’s accession to NATO are also on the list, including defense spending of three percent of GDP. The coalition should tighten and enforce sanctions against Moscow, the authors said.
Call to companies: prepare for a war scenario
At the same time, Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, calls on companies to prepare for a war scenario. They must adapt their production and distribution lines to be less vulnerable to extortion by countries such as Russia and China. “If we can ensure that all essential services and goods can be delivered no matter what, then that is a central part of our deterrence.”
Source: Krone
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