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No more ‘kid brothers’: how Australia needs to handle Trump

Former NATO deputy chief Rose Gottemoeller also says Vladimir Putin risks the wrath of Donald Trump if he delays a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.

Andrew TillettForeign affairs, defence correspondent

Mar 17, 2025 – 6.22pm

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Donald Trump’s upending of the global order is likely to entrench permanent change, says a former top NATO official who is urging Western democracies including Australia to spend more on defence and work together to fill the void left by a United States in retreat.

Rose Gottemoeller also predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin could not afford to “diddle” Trump by holding out on a ceasefire deal in Ukraine, running the risk of the US tightening the economic screws further against Moscow.

Andrew Tillett writes on politics, foreign affairs, defence and security from the Canberra press gallery.