Kellogg Calls NATO ‘Cowards,’ Proposes New Alliance Including Ukraine
Kellogg suggests Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Japan and Australia as potential partners.
Kyiv Post
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Former US presidential envoy for Ukraine, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, has proposed creating a new international defense alliance that could include Ukraine, sharply criticizing NATO as ineffective during the Iran conflict.
Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity program, Kellogg argued that NATO had failed to respond adequately to major global security challenges and suggested the US should reconsider its current alliance structure.
“NATO’s turn[ing] [out] to be cowards,” Kellogg said, adding: “Maybe we need to have a new NATO, a new defensive establishment.”
He pointed to Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty – which allows member states to withdraw after one year’s notice – as a potential pathway for change.
Kellogg outlined a possible alternative bloc that could include countries willing to take a more active military role, naming Japan, Australia, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine among potential partners.
“Redraw the defense alignments we have,” he said, adding that Ukraine has “proven to be a good ally.”
Other former Trump-era officials echoed his criticism of NATO, though in less detail. Former Deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates described the alliance as “inconsequential,” arguing it had failed to address the largest war in Europe since World War II.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also voiced concern, calling NATO’s current state “heartbreaking” and urging a broader reassessment of US alliances.
“I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian leader Vladimir Putin] knows that too,” Trump told The Telegraph.
The dispute centers on the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil. Iran has effectively blocked the strait for weeks. Trump urged NATO allies to join a US-led effort to reopen the route, but most declined. Some have instead discussed forming a separate coalition without US leadership.
“Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe,” he said, adding that he expected support to be “automatic” without the need for strong pressure.
He framed the refusal as a failure of burden-sharing within the alliance, arguing that the US had consistently backed its allies, including Ukraine, while not receiving the same support in return.
The standoff has also reignited debate over NATO’s Article 5 clause, which applies only when a member state is attacked – not to offensive operations like the current conflict with Iran.
American analyst Paul Goble told Kyiv Post he was not surprised by recent signals from Trump suggesting a possible break with NATO.
Goble warned that such a move would be “a tragedy of the first order,” stressing that NATO remains the key link between the US and Europe. If the alliance were weakened or dismantled, he said, Putin and Russia would find it much easier to confront individual countries rather than a united Western bloc.
He added that Trump has long signaled dissatisfaction with NATO, and that his latest remarks appear to be a more explicit continuation of that stance.
“We are going to have to re-examine whether or not this alliance... is still serving that purpose, or has it now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe, but when we need the help of our allies, they’re going to deny us basing rights, and they’re going to deny us overflight,” Rubio said.
Despite Trump’s remarks, withdrawing the US from NATO would face legal obstacles. A 2023 law requires congressional approval before any such move.
According to The Telegraph, the administration is also considering broader changes to the alliance, including tying decision-making power to defense spending – potentially sidelining members that fail to meet funding targets.
Julia is a Deputy Head of News and correspondent for Kyiv Post who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of the Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies.
