Trump scared Europe with his national security strategy. That's no bad thing, ex-CIA chief says

The White House's new national information strategy gave Europe a scare past week arsenic it warned the portion faced "civilizational erasure" and questioned whether it could stay a geopolitical spouse for America.

The papers shocked allies connected the continent arsenic it criticized its leaders arsenic "weak" and slammed the region's stance connected immigration, democracy, state of speech, portion adding its waning economical and subject powerfulness was waning.

"It is acold from evident whether definite European countries volition person economies and militaries beardown capable to stay reliable allies," it said, adding that the portion suffered from a deficiency of self-confidence. The papers besides called for the U.S. to re-establish "strategic stability" with Russia, contempt its warfare against Ukraine.

But David Petraeus, the erstwhile CIA Director and four-star US Army general, told CNBC it was nary atrocious happening for European nations to get a wake-up telephone to look aft their defence and security.

The strategy was, "in a way, going aft the Europeans but, frankly, immoderate of the Europeans needed to beryllium gotten aft due to the fact that I watched arsenic 4 antithetic presidents tried to exhort the Europeans to bash much for their ain defence and present that's really happening," helium told CNBC's Dan Murphy successful Abu Dhabi connected Thursday.

Petraeus said President Donald Trump had been "very, precise substantial" successful getting the Europeans to walk much connected defense.

"He's gotten them to perpetrate to what they should person done years ago," Petraeus said. He pointed to European members of NATO agreeing earlier this twelvemonth to summation defence spending to 5% of their gross home product, aft sustained unit from the Trump administration.

Petraeus' comments travel arsenic diplomatic efforts proceed to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, with U.S. officials holding talks regarding bid proposals with Russian and Ukrainian counterparts successful caller weeks.

Both Russia and Ukraine, and its European allies, person promoted antithetic bid plans with contradictory demands and "red lines." The biggest obstacles to bid stay disagreements implicit post-war information guarantees for Ukraine and Russian demands that Kyiv cede the eastbound portion of Donbas.

Washington is reportedly urging some sides to travel to an statement earlier Christmas, but determination is besides skepticism that this is possible. Russia, meanwhile, appears to beryllium enjoying the expanding unit that Europe and Ukraine are coming under from Washington.

Petraeus said helium had small religion that Russia could compromise implicit a bid program with Putin showing small motion of compromise implicit warfare objectives specified arsenic territorial control, authorities change, and a "demilitarized" Ukraine with nary imaginable of NATO membership.

"I'm encouraged that determination is an effort spurred by the United States and backed by President Trump, personally, successful galore respects, and his nonstop negotiators to effort to bring the warfare to an end. I'm not encouraged by Moscow's response," Petraeus said.

"Vladimir Putin conscionable continues to reiterate that his goals are the maximalist objectives he's held each along, which fundamentally denies independency to Ukraine. He wants to get a pro-Russian president to regenerate President Zelenskyy ... He wants to demilitarize Ukraine [and] ... helium wants to beryllium fixed crushed that is successful the astir fortified country of Ukraine," helium added.

Putin "is not going to budge," Petraeus added.

Ukraine's European allies person been looking astatine ways to proceed backing its warfare against Russia, arsenic good arsenic considering its eventual post-war reconstruction, which is apt to outgo implicit $500 billion, according to the United Nations, and Russian reparations.

The EU is believed to beryllium adjacent to a woody to mobilize a sizable chunk of the estimated 210 cardinal euros (around $244 billion) worthy of Russian sovereign assets presently frozen successful European fiscal institutions.

There are, however, concerns implicit the ineligible ramifications and the imaginable retaliation from Moscow; Russia's information assembly chief warned past week that using Russian assets would beryllium tantamount to a justification for war.

Petraeus said if the EU did spell up with utilizing frozen Russian reserves, it would beryllium a "game changer."

"We've heard a batch of crippled changers before. I've ne'er bought into those. But ... $200 cardinal oregon adjacent 100 cardinal euros of wealth for Ukraine would beryllium a crippled changer. It solves their fiscal and economical problems for a mates of years," helium said.