War, Trump and trust deficit: Nato’s future debated at Raisina Dialogue 2026

Does the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) talk much and acts little? This is what former President of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen argued at a conclave in New Delhi on Thursday, suggesting that it is time the trans-Atlantic military bloc adapted to meet the new challenges of the an evolving world. The Nato has faced a host of challenges such as the ongoing Ukraine war and the US's Greenland pressure that have threatened the unity of the alliance.

At one of the key sessions of the 2026 Raisina Dialogue, a panel of world leaders and diplomats discussed the future of Nato amid big budget demands and low trust. The delegation raised concerns over "too much talking and too little action" and agreed with the need to add Ukraine to the alliance.

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The panel included: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark, Marcos Perestrello de Vasconcellos, Member of Parliament from Portugal, Benedetta Berti, Secretary General, Nato Parliamentary Assembly, Italy, Jon Finer, Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Global Politics at Columbia University, United States of America, Sophie Briquetti, Political Officer, Division of Political Affairs and Security Policy, Nato, France.

Moderated by Benedikt Franke, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the Munich Security Conference, who asked some tough questions that the Western alliance has been facing for a while.

Has Trump made Nato stronger or weaker?

The panel started off the discussion with US President Donald Trump's unrelenting claims over Greenland and whether it damaged the age-old solidarity of Nato. Looking back at the Greenland fiasco, Rasmussen said that "Trump's episode has done a lot of damage. If what he said [annexing Greenland] had happened, it would have been the end of Nato."

The former Danish prime minister emphasised that "60 per cent of the Danish population still consider the US as an adversary".

"Hence, we need to do more to rebuild trust". He also spoke about the need to accelerate the plans for all Nato member-states to invest 5 per cent by 2035, noting that "by 2030, Russian President Vladimir Putin might attack a European ally".

When asked whether Trump and his policies have made Nato stronger or weaker, Jon Finer, Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Global Politics at Columbia University, United States of America, insisted that the alliance "needed a shock," stating that the Ukraine war was the "biggest shock".

He insisted that with the pressure of increasing the defence spending, Nato now has "more material and capabilities than it ever has before".

The Ankara Summit - What lies ahead for Nato?

While the panel minutely discussed the 2025 Hague summit, where member states pledged to hit 5 per cent defence spending by 2025, they also delved into what lies ahead, with the 2026 Summit scheduled in Ankara, Turkey.

Benedetta Berti, the secretary general of Italy's Nato parliamentary assembly, emphasised that while last year's summit was about commitment to the defence spending, "The summit in Ankara would focus on delivering on the goal of defence spending capabilities."

It will be for "Europeans to show that their resources and capabilities can take up a leading role in Nato".

Vasconcellos emphasised how the Indo-Pacific region is also a part of Nato's security concern. He pointed out that the alliance can cooperate with India to form a robust industrial base. "Cooperation between two continents on defence matters could start on an industrial foundation," he said.

'Too much talking, less action'

Rasmussen pointed out one of the major concerns with Nato: "Talking too much and acting too little".

He insisted that Nato needs to "accelerate the process of reaching the 5 per cent goal, put more pressure on Putin by delivering much more assistance to Ukraine, increase production of weapons and use Europe's excess capacity in the automobile industry".

When asked what advice Finer would give to the European allies, he pointed to the need to encourage Ukraine's industrial base. "Seventy per cent of the destruction of Russia has been caused by Ukraine's own defence system."

He also called for the judicious use of Russian sovereign assets by "transferring those funds for Ukraine".

"To put an end to the war, we need to put pressure on Russia, not only economic but also at the military level," Vasconcellos said.

"There is a clear consensus that we need to do more to begin a serious peace process," he said.

While moderating the session, Dr Franke pointed out that at the Munich Security Conference this year, "everyone accepted that the transatlantic relationship is troubled." However, Berti differed on such an assertion. She said, "Change is not something daunting. We are not doing badly; we have to be confident."

The elephants in the room - Ukraine & China

During the discussion, Rasmussen made it clear that the major task at hand is "Ukraine's membership of Nato". He described it as the "effective and least expensive way to guarantee security".

"Ukraine's membership in Nato would also ensure peace and stability in our continent. When the war ends, we will still have an aggressive Russia. We need Ukraine as a counter to such Russia," he said.

The former Danish PM pointed out that Ukraine can contribute significantly to Nato "because of its experience".

"Ukraine has the strongest military in Europe, which can be beneficial for the alliance in the long run," he said.

After the panel discussion, one of the audience members asked why China was omitted from the summit declaration last year. To this, Briquetti responded by saying "Nato is committed to its partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region because we recognise that our security is interconnected."

However, she pointed out that "China is not a military adversary for Nato, it is a challenge for us".

"We would want to speak to China as well to seek more transparency," she said.

The 11th edition of the Raisina Dialogue was held from March 5, 2026, to March 7, 2026, in New Delhi. Firstpost has partnered with the Raisina Dialogue to bring exclusive conversations with global leaders to you.

The Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.