Reflecting on his five-year tenure as NATO's political leader, retiring Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told USA Today that his biggest career regret was Russia's unchecked aggression.
While attending his last UN General Assembly since assuming the top NATO spot in 2009, the 61-year-old Rasmussen stated, "It's quite clear that, today, Russia doesn't consider us a partner, but an adversary. Obviously, we will have to adapt to that."
Rasmussen, who previously served as prime minister of Denmark, believes Putin has an obvious plan to "establish a zone of Russian influence in their neighborhood, covering the former Soviet space,"USA Today reports.
Earlier this month, NATO announced the Readiness Action Plan, a detailed plan that "responds to Russia's aggressive behavior" while protecting the assets of NATO-member nations, The Associated Press reports. The program includes a rotation of several thousand troops equipped with naval and air support.