Former NATO Commander: ‘Is the West Going to Tolerate Russia Doing This to Ukraine?’
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine got underway late last week, NATO activated its multinational response force for the first time in the military alliance’s nearly 73-year history on Friday. While no U.S. or NATO troops will be sent to Ukraine, which is not a member nation, the force has been put on standby as a deterrence and defensive measure as tens of thousands of Russian troops have surged into the country, which borders four NATO member states.
Foreign Policy spoke with retired four-star U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, who led U.S. forces in Europe and served as NATO’s supreme allied commander from 2013 to 2016, to get his thoughts on NATO’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the challenge of imposing a no-fly zone over the country, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state of mind.
