“Former NATO chief tells UpFront ‘Putin would drink a glass of champagne if Mr Trump were elected.”

Anders Fogh Rasmussen speaks with ‘UpFront’:

Says Vladimir Putin “would drink a glass of champagne if Mr Trump were elected President of the United States”

Warns “Putin might be tempted to test the resolve of NATO” after a Trump victory because the latter’s remarks have “raised doubts about the American commitment to defend all allies”

(Washington, D.C. – 25th October) - In an interview with Al Jazeera English’s current affairs show ‘UpFront’, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former secretary general of NATO and Danish prime minister, spoke about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

“I’m pretty sure that President Putin would drink a glass of champagne if Mr. Trump were elected President of the United States,” Rasmussen told ‘UpFront’ host Mehdi Hasan.

Rasmussen - who served as NATO chief between 2009 and 2014, including during the Libya war of 2011 - warned that a Trump victory in November could provoke a new conflict between Russia and the Atlantic alliance.  

“I’m very much concerned about [Mr Trump’s] statements on NATO,” Rasmussen said. “Because he has raised doubts about the American commitment to defend all allies and President Putin might be tempted to test the resolve of NATO.”

Note to Editors

• This ‘UpFront’ web-extra with Anders Fogh Rasmussen is available here: www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/webextras.html
• If using quotes please credit Al Jazeera English and ‘UpFront’ and please add this link to online copy http://aje.io/ak54
• UpFront broadcasts on Fridays at 19.30 GMT. Follow ‘UpFront’ on Twitter@AJUpFront