Trump’s ego and ‘Finnish solution’ for Ukraine: Ex-Nato chief’s memoir

OSLO - From stroking US President Donald Trump’s ego to a “Finnish solution” for peace in Ukraine, former Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg opens up about his decade as head of the alliance in a new memoir.

In “On My Watch” launched Sept 29 in Norway, Mr Stoltenberg revealed behind-the-scenes details of a 2018 Nato summit when Mr Trump, during his first term, threatened to walk out due to a number of European countries’ failures to meet Nato’s two per cent defence budget target.

“I’m leaving this meeting. There’s no reason for me to be here anymore,” an angry Mr Trump said, especially annoyed by Germany under then-chancellor Angela Merkel, which was still far from the spending target.

In a bid to get the US leader to stay, Mr Mark Rutte – at the time Dutch prime minister, before going on to succeed Mr Stoltenberg as Nato head – pointed out to Mr Trump that European countries had in fact increased their defence spending by €33 billion (S$49.93 billion) the previous year.

“After a while, Trump took out the thick black marker he always used, jotted something down on a sheet of paper, then leaned over and handed me the note,” Mr Stoltenberg wrote.

“The note said: ‘Secretary-General, if you can say that the Nato allies have significantly increased their defence spending thanks to me, then I think we can agree’,” he added.

Mr Stoltenberg complied, enabling Mr Trump to claim a victory and, in so doing, reducing the risk of Washington withdrawing from Nato.

Mr Stoltenberg, Nato chief from 2014 to 2024, also revealed how he had pushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to consider ceding land to Russia in a bid to end the war.

He cited as an example Finland, which gave up 10 per cent of its territory as part of a peace deal with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during World War II.

“On the first occasions I hinted at a ‘Finnish solution’ to the war in Ukraine, Zelensky had rejected the idea of ceding any territory outright,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

But over time, Mr Zelensky and his advisers became “less dismissive of a temporary cession, on the condition that the new borders and Ukraine’s security would be guaranteed through Ukrainian Nato membership.”

The 66-year-old Norwegian, a former prime minister

currently serving as finance minister

, also detailed France’s “dissatisfaction” with him in the early 2020s.

He said that Paris in 2021 expressed “deep frustration at my leadership of Nato”, accusing him of giving himself “a more prominent role” and opposing his reform projects.

Senior French foreign ministry officials “did their level best to clip my wings”, he said. AFP