Former NATO chief Rasmussen: 'Ukraine must win the war'

Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen criticized the western response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's war at a democracy summit of his organization Alliance of Democracies in Copenhagen.

Speaking about the invasion of Ukraine, Rasmussen said that "it was hard to believe what was happening. In fact, we should not have been surprised. Putin's chosen path was never concealed. It was clear in his speeches where he denied Ukraine's right to exist."

The murder of dissidents and political opponents and the political propaganda were also evidence of Putin's path, Rasmussen said, and "most of all, it was clear from the invasion of Crimea" in 2014.

Rasmussen criticized the West for not responding strongly enough to this first invasion, continuing its dependence on Russian oil and gas. "We did not learn the lessons of history. Appeasing dictators does not lead to peace," Rasmussen said.

He called on the West to stop all imports of Russian oil and gas immediately in order to cut Putin's funding for the war, and emphasized the importance of a Ukrainian victory. "Ukraine must win the war," he said. It is "the frontline of the fight for democracy."