Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for making 2025 the deadliest year of the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, telling Newsmax on Friday that the bloodshed was designed to pressure Kyiv into accepting peace on Moscow's terms.
The Institute for the Study of War reported Thursday, citing figures from the open-source Conflict Intelligence Team, that 2,919 Ukrainian civilians were killed and 17,775 were injured in 2025, increases of 12% and 25%, respectively, from 2024. The war marks its fourth anniversary Feb. 24.
"We have seen the deadliest year for Ukrainians because Putin does not want peace and he wants to accelerate the attacks on Ukraine to force the Ukrainians on their knees to beg for peace on Russian terms," Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen, who was NATO Secretary-General from 2009 to 2014, spoke with Newsmax national security correspondent Carla Babb in Washington, D.C., before departing for the Munich Security Conference.
The interview aired on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich and is scheduled to deliver a key speech at the conference Saturday night.
Rasmussen credited President Donald Trump and, indirectly, Putin for spurring NATO allies to increase defense spending from 2% of gross domestic product to 5%.
"We realize that after Putin's attack on Ukraine, we are all in danger in Europe, so we have to step up our defense efforts," Rasmussen, a former prime minister of Denmark, said.
"So, that's really the driving force. But I would also give President Trump credit for his harsh rhetoric. I don't think anybody can be in doubt that also the U.S. wants us to invest more."
Babb noted that Trump told reporters earlier Friday that he is still negotiating to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory governed by Denmark.
Trump also posted Sunday on Truth Social an AI-generated image showing himself in the Oval Office with world leaders and a map depicting Greenland and Canada, another NATO ally, as part of the United States.
"It would, of course, be unheard if one ally, namely the U.S., militarily attacks another ally, namely Denmark, to grasp territory from that ally," Rasmussen said.
"That would be the end of NATO. I don't think Congress would accept that.
"No, Greenland is not for sale. And as all real estate agents know, if an estate is not for sale, it can be purchased."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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