Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told Newsmax on Friday that Europe may need to consider the unthinkable: a formal declaration of war against Russia.
Sondland's comments came as he reacted to Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning that Western troops stationed in Ukraine would be treated as legitimate military targets.
In an interview on "American Agenda," Sondland argued that Moscow's threats should not deter the West from bolstering Ukraine's defenses.
"I think we need to put those troops there. And if they're in any way fired upon, I think we need to take the gloves off and really push Russia back hard," Sondland said.
He described Putin's strategy as one-sided and unacceptable.
"What Putin's construct is, is that he gets to keep shooting, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy does not get to shoot. He gets to continue to seize more territory. And when he's got the territory he wants, then he'll have peace negotiations. That's completely unacceptable."
Sondland acknowledged that firing on Western troops would amount to a declaration of war — and suggested that Europe might need to meet that challenge directly.
"It would be a declaration of war. And maybe there needs to be a declaration of war," Sondland said. "Again, it needs to be Europe's war largely, not ours. But we will provide the weapons, we will provide intel, we will provide the strategy. And it's time for the Europeans to be the tip of the spear."
Sondland warned that failing to act decisively would allow Putin to keep dismantling Ukraine.
"The opposite is we let Putin continue to move into Ukraine, Ukraine gets destroyed, and Ukraine is the frontier of Central Europe. I mean, it's crazy to let this continue to go on," Sondland said.
He argued that President Donald Trump has exhausted other approaches to incentivize Moscow, including dangling the possibility of a massive U.S.-Russia economic partnership that could have enriched the Kremlin.
"Any sane leader of Russia would accept and say, 'Look, we're going to keep Crimea, we're going to keep part of the Donbas, and we're going to get rich and be a partner with the United States,'" Sondland said. "That's not good enough for Putin. He wants all of Ukraine, and he's not going to get it."
Putin's comments about Western troops deployed in Ukraine came as NATO countries debate long-term security guarantees for Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron recently said 26 nations had pledged to provide Ukraine with postwar assurances.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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