A retired British general who was one of NATO’s senior commanders has warned that Russian President Vladmir Putin would wreak havoc in Europe if Ukraine capitulates
One of the NATO defence alliance’s former chiefs has revealed a chilling potential reality he believes Britain will face if it does not send weapons to Ukraine and allies in the Baltic states.
In a horrifying assessment, NATO’s ex-deputy supreme Allied commander in Europe Sir Richard Shirreff said US President Donald Trump had delivered a “mortal blow” to NATO following his comments on the alliance and actions over the Ukraine war. Some of the president’s critics have slammed the pressure Trump has exerted on Ukraine – which remains locked in a war with Vladimir Putin’s forces – by banning intelligence sharing and suspending the supply of military aid from the US.
Were the US to withdraw from NATO, the remaining countries of which Britain is a member would suddenly be without US support. The US used to pay around 22 percent of the annual NATO budget, which is around £3.2 billion. It now pays just less than 16 percent. But the US also spends more on its defence than the rest of the world combined, making it one of or if not the most potent military forces on the planet.
Sir Richard said that a Trump-brokered peace deal that potentially leads to the capitulation of Ukraine could bolster Putin to rearm and rebuild. “He’s never going to give up on his aim of taking over the whole of Ukraine either,” he said to The Sun. Putin wrote in a 2021 essay on Ukraine and Russia that included a number of dubious statements. He questioned the history of Ukraine as a separate state and argued that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people”.
Sir Richard warned that after taking over Ukraine, Putin will look to place Kremlin puppets in charge of Georgia, Moldova and Romania, before turning his eyes towards the Baltics. It is this, Sir Richard said, that will lead to direct war between European countries including the UK, and the Kremlin.
The attack will follow previous patterns set by the Russian military. Sir Richard cited the devastation brought to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. “It looks like the deportation of children, rape of women and the massacre of civilians,” said Sir Richard. “That’s what happens when Russia attacks. First will be the missiles, then the works.”
Much of Mariupol has been reduced to rubble, while Russia has been forcibly deporting Ukrainian children to its own lands. There have been incidents of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian soldiers reported in Ukraine, while potentially hundreds of war crimes are alleged to have taken place in the town of Bucha. Civilians were found with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to the head.
Russia claimed, without evidence, that Bucha was a false flag operation. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called it “genocide”. Former US Army Europe commander Ben Hodges added that a war against NATO could see Russia target vital transport infrastructure, meaning “airports and seaports” could be under attack. He also called on European countries to build up their defences.
Sir Richard also said Europe must continue to arm Ukraine, while adding that those who remain in NATO should look at conscripting soldiers. “If Europe is fractured, and if Europe doesn’t step up to the mark, then I really fear for our future,” he warned.
The Polish government is working on a plan to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in response to the changing security situation in Europe. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there is a need for an army of 500,000 soldiers, which would include reservists.
On Saturday, former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace suggested that it would not be the “end of the world” if the US pulled out of NATO. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he called such a prospect “horrific” but added: “We have the will in Europe and the money, if we choose to, to fix our own security and defence.”
The UK and France have been leading efforts to get countries to commit to the peacekeeping coalition. Not all the countries interested in the plan would necessarily provide troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, it is understood, but they could potentially contribute in other ways.
Diplomatic efforts to secure a peace deal will continue this week, with talks due between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. Defence Secretary John Healey is also expected to join discussions with his own counterparts.
Trump, meanwhile, suggested on Friday that Kyiv was more difficult to deal with than the Kremlin, and said he wanted to get the war “finished” before committing to security guarantees. He had earlier said that he was “strongly considering” sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a final peace deal is reached, given Moscow was “absolutely pounding” Ukraine.
