Ivo Daalder, the U.S. ambassador to NATO in former President Barack Obama’s first term, told Newsmax on Thursday that a strong and unmistakable message must be sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin following Moscow’s latest strikes in western Ukraine — attacks that came dangerously close to the borders of several NATO countries.
Daalder told “The Record With Greta Van Susteren” that the strikes, which hit near Romania, Slovakia, and Poland, underscore the urgency of deterring Russia before the conflict escalates further.
“This is just how Mr. Putin operates,” Daalder said. “He started this war, and he’s bent on continuing it until he gets what he wants — or until somebody convinces him he cannot achieve his goals through the force of arms.”
An American-owned electronics plant in western Ukraine was struck during the attacks, raising the stakes for the U.S. and its allies. Daalder stressed that the symbolism of the attack on the electronics plant cannot be ignored, even if the strike was not intentional.
“Now Putin has hit an American factory,” he said. “That changes the dynamics. I’m all for talking to adversaries, but you cannot overlook an attack that inches so close to NATO territory.”
Russia’s latest escalation mirrors the kind of encroachment Europe last witnessed in the lead-up to World War II when aggression moved steadily westward. The fear, Daalder said, is particularly acute in Eastern Europe, where Poland, Slovakia, and Romania are rapidly bolstering their defenses.
Poland, for example, is raising defense spending to 5% of its gross domestic product and expanding its armed forces to 500,000 troops, while reinstating conscription and training programs.
“They’re not doing this because it’s fun,” Daalder said. “They’re doing it because they think it’s necessary.”
These measures reflect widespread fears that Putin’s ambitions might not stop at Ukraine’s borders. Daalder emphasized that NATO’s eastern members are right to be alarmed — and that the alliance as a whole must respond accordingly.
Daalder said the path forward requires unity and strength. He praised President Donald Trump’s decision to meet Putin face-to-face in Alaska on Friday but said such dialogue must be matched with concrete actions.
“The only way we’re going to get to peace is if Vladimir Putin can be convinced that the course he’s on is not going to succeed,” he said. “And the only way to do that is to start increasing pressure. The president before Alaska promised that there would be severe economic consequences for Russia if it did not agree to a ceasefire. It did not agree to a ceasefire, but we have yet to see those severe economic consequences.”
Most importantly, Daalder said, NATO leaders must reaffirm their commitment to Article 5, the core of the alliance that treats an attack on one as an attack on all.
“It’s very important for the president of the United States, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, and all NATO leaders to reaffirm at this point and send a very clear message to Russia that what’s happening in Ukraine is one thing, but if it starts to inch into NATO territory, as these strikes are getting darn close to it, that will have severe consequences,” Daalder said. “That means Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which says an armed attack against one is an attack against all, would be invoked and we would be in direct conflict with Russia. Nobody wants [that], but it’s clearly a message that Vladimir Putin needs to hear.”
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