Former NATO chief urges Europe to take lead of free world

NATO's former secretary general said Wednesday that Europe must take responsibility for its own destiny amid rising tensions with Washington.

"I do not believe it is the time for a definitive break between Europe and the United States. But we Europeans must take care of our own destiny," Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the French radio broadcaster RFI.

He said NATO should be reformed and strengthened, with Europe taking a larger role within the alliance.

"This is a conflict initiated by US President Donald Trump," Rasmussen said, rejecting the idea of NATO intervening to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing Iran war.

The US and Israel have carried out airstrikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people so far, including Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping lane, has also been effectively throttled since early March.

Rasmussen added that some NATO members may choose to assist the US individually, noting that "France has indicated it could be involved if there is a UN mandate."

Commenting on recent US criticism of NATO, the former NATO chief said Europeans cannot afford to flatter Trump and must act firmly. "The era of flattery is over. We must be firm with Donald Trump and this is the only language he understands," he said.

Rasmussen also recalled the Greenland crisis under Trump, saying US actions increased anti-American sentiment in both Greenland and Canada.

Trump has repeatedly pushed for US control over Greenland in recent months, citing national security concerns surrounding Russia and China, and at one point threatened sanctions against European countries that resisted the idea.

Those threats were later walked back following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where Trump said both sides had established a framework for a potential deal covering Greenland and the wider Arctic, paving the way for subsequent talks among the US, Denmark, and Greenland.

Rasmussen warned that the erosion of US leadership in the world is a concern.

"Since I was a child, the United States was the leader of the free world. It is very difficult for me to see the United States retreat from that position. Europe must take this role," he told RFI.

The former NATO chief emphasized that Europeans need to strengthen their defense capabilities and assume greater responsibility within the alliance, including financially, to secure their own destiny.