WASHINGTON DC – A former top NATO commander on Friday issued a stark warning that Russia’s recent provocations, including a drone incident over Polish airspace, are not accidents but a direct result of what he sees as the West’s failure to deter Vladimir Putin.

General Philip M. Breedlove, who retired as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, spoke with Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent, delivering a scathing critique of the West’s response to Russian aggression.

Breedlove argued that what many perceive as accidental or opportunistic Russian actions are in fact “deliberate provocations” enabled by a lack of strong, decisive action from NATO nations.

He said Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin “is running amok” and “is going to have to be stopped.”

The deliberate provocation

Breedlove directly challenged the narrative that a recent Russian drone incident in Polish airspace was a mistake.

“I do not believe it was an attack at all,” he said, “but what I absolutely believe is it was a provocation that the Russians chose to fly through Polish airspace purposely.”

He stressed the importance of using precise language, asserting that a “deliberate provocation” is “every bit as bad” as an attack and that Putin is now “making moves... in Moldova” and has amassed his army and invaded Ukraine multiple times.

He argued that Putin believes “he can get away with nearly anything, because the West is not responding to the ugly things that he is doing.”

Calls for a more aggressive stance

To counter this, Breedlove outlined a series of decisive actions he believes the West must take.

He proposed changing NATO’s rules of engagement from “air policing,” which he called a “peacetime construct,” to a more aggressive “defensive combat air patrol.”

This would give pilots “the authorities and the weapons they need to take appropriate action if they see a belligerent incident without having to ask permission.”

He also urged a more forceful message to be delivered to the Kremlin.

“In a very demonstrative public way, I would tell Mr. Putin stop, or the West will take action,” Breedlove said.

He believes Putin needs to hear this directly, and “the Russian people need to hear the message that this has to stop or else.”

Breedlove lamented the current approach, saying, “We keep asking him. We go to him, hat in hand, we need to tell him to stop.”

Europe’s progress and persistent gaps

While critical of the overall Western response, Breedlove praised European nations for their progress in increasing military readiness since the 2014 Wales summit.

He noted that Ukraine has “torn up the Russian army,” and that a prepared Europe would do “a very good job in handling Russia.”

However, he identified critical gaps where Europe still relies on the United States, including “air defenses, naval capabilities, air lift, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance.”

The deterrence failure

Breedlove revisited his famous quote, “Mr. Putin has us deterred,” and explained that it is still true outside of NATO’s borders.

“We have deterred Mr. Putin in NATO spaces,” he said. “But outside of NATO spaces, he is completely not deterred. He’s running amok.”

He cited Russia’s actions in Georgia and Moldova as evidence. Breedlove said that at some point, “we in the West have got to say enough.”

No partner for peace

When asked about the prospect of peace talks, Breedlove was unequivocal.

“[Putin] has never been a partner when it comes to peace in Ukraine. Mr. Putin is not now a partner when it comes to peace in Ukraine, and Mr. Putin will never, in the future, be a partner for peace in Ukraine,” he said.

He concluded with his most direct and chilling assessment of the situation: “Mr. Putin is not going to stop. Mr. Putin is going to have to be stopped.”