“There [are] some missed opportunities there to clarify the nature of the competition” presented by Russia and China, H.R. McMaster said, which are working together to “tear down the existing rules of international discourse and replace them” with new ones that favor authoritarian governance.
McMaster, former national security adviser who oversaw the drafting of the 2017 national security strategy under President Donald Trump, also pushed back on European concerns about the tone of the 2025 strategy, saying the broader transatlantic relationship remains strong despite political rhetoric.
“Europe is stepping up. It finally recognizes the persistent danger associated with Russia in particular. And you have the doubling of defense budgets,” he said, noting that U.S. perceptions of European “freeloading” no longer reflect reality.
McMaster, a retired Army three-star lieutenant general, expressed alarm that the Kremlin publicly praised the U.S. strategy, especially as “Russia is waging a shadow war against the United States through various forms of cognitive warfare and cyberattacks.”
McMaster warned of the consequences if the United States agrees to Russian ceasefire terms that cross Ukraine’s and Europe’s red lines. “Putin’s objective is to drive that wedge between the United States and Europe and to break apart the NATO alliance,” he said. Even if the war ends on Russia’s terms, “Ukrainians will never stop fighting,” he said, adding, “What’s really important at this stage is to help bolster Ukrainian will with sustained commitments.”
