Call to Europeans:

“Coalition of the willing” against Russia and Putin

An open letter calls for a "coalition of the willing" against Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com/Tomas Ragina, APA/AP)

"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 USA does" - with ground troops if necessary. Poland could be joined by the Baltic states, the Nordic countries, the UK, France, Canada and the Netherlands, according to the letter. 

(Bild: APA/AFP/Genya SAVILOV)

The signatories, who include Austrian political scientist Gustav Gressel, German military expert Carlo Masala, former US general Ben Hodges, Estonia's former president Toomas Hendrik Ilves and exiled former world chess champion and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov, argue that Ukraine should be supplied with weapons until the Russian army is defeated. They are also calling for the confiscation of all frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine's victory. They are also demanding an expansion of air defense over western Ukraine. "The coalition states could then use this protective shield to deploy their own troops on the ground", a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to also deploy Western ground troops is also taken up.

Demand for security guarantees and NATO membership
Security guarantees and NATO membership for Ukraine are also on the list - along with defense spending of three percent of GDP. The coalition should tighten and enforce sanctions against Moscow, according to the authors.

Appeal to companies: Prepare for a war scenario
At the same time, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, is calling on companies to prepare for a war scenario. They should adapt their production and distribution lines to be less vulnerable to blackmail from 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 key part of our deterrence."