General Breedlove: “Putin Will Never Be a Partner for Peace in Ukraine”
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, delivered a stark warning during the latest installment of the Alianta Conversations series: Vladimir Putin “has not been, is not, and will never be a partner for peace in Ukraine.”
Speaking with journalist and media executive John Florescu, General Breedlove emphasized that the Kremlin leader may use the upcoming summit with Donald Trump to secure concessions rather than to end the war. “Any potential peace negotiations must be built on NATO’s unity and collective strength,” he said, underscoring the need for a firm, coordinated response to Russian aggression.
During the livestream, Romanian journalist Lucian Bălănuță of Radio România Iași asked whether the U.S. military presence in Romania and Poland could be used as a bargaining chip in a potential peace agreement. General Breedlove responded that his greater concern lies elsewhere:
“The idea that this issue might be part of a peace agreement worries me far less than the current attitude that we should move our military capabilities to the Pacific. For some time now, in America, we have been saying that we are shifting capabilities to the Pacific, and in reality, this has not affected Russia at all. During President Trump’s first term, our presence in Europe increased, investments in U.S. military facilities in Europe increased, and our participation in large-scale exercises such as Trident Juncture and others also increased. So despite all the talk about a withdrawal from Europe, we actually grew. But now we are truly in a situation where we are moving some equipment and capabilities from Europe to better support our efforts in the Pacific.”
While acknowledging the recent rise in NATO defense spending, the general cautioned that Europe must be prepared to sustain its own security should U.S. involvement diminish in the future.
The conversation, part of Alianta’s ongoing series exploring transatlantic relations and European security, offered an unflinching assessment of the geopolitical challenges ahead.
This article is based on coverage originally published in Romanian by Radio România Iași.
Watch the full discussion here:
