an interview with Politico, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance is far too dependent on the United States. In his view, if Washington ever decided to leave NATO, European countries would be forced to build their own military bloc.

Rasmussen argued that, as he sees it, NATO is essentially nothing without the United States. He suggested that if the US chose not to take part in the alliance or simply disregard it, Europe would have to move toward a «European NATO» built around a coalition of willing European states.

At the same time, he urged European politicians not to indulge in fantasies about a full break between Europe and the US. He noted that in Europe there is a growing focus on reducing risks and carving out more room for strategic autonomy.

Earlier, Politico reported that the main task of current NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is to prevent a possible US exit from the alliance. During a discussion in the European Parliament on 26 January, Rutte called on allies to stop dreaming that the EU can defend itself without Washington.

The article also recalled that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised European countries for what he described as insufficient contributions to NATO defence. He demanded that all alliance members raise their military spending to 5% of GDP.