NATO commander warns Putin plans to divide world into spheres of power

President Donald Trump’s push for a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and potentially reshape European security has alarmed NATO allies, with a former alliance commander warning Fox News Digital that President Vladimir Putin has long sought to divide the world into competing spheres of influence.

The warning comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky also appears to reject what he calls a potential “Yalta 2.0” and as NATO allies debate a direct approach with Putin ahead of delegations preparing for talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.

Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, former supreme allied commander in Europe, warned that Putin’s ambitions extend well beyond Ukraine and reflect a broader vision of how world powers should divide their influence.

“Putin has a plan for the world, and he has presented it repeatedly to leaders,” Breedlove warned before adding: “He talks about it and he writes about it.”

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Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, front row from left, and Jonas Gahr Støre, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Dutch Minister Dick Schoof and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, back row from left, stand together at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, December 15, 2025. (Markus Schreiber, Swimming Pool/AP)

Trump suggested Thursday that a deal with Moscow could go beyond ending Russia’s nearly five-year-old war in Ukraine.

“It will be a significant deal, and it will involve much more than just Ukraine…I might even say it could involve all of Europe,” Trump told reporters after meeting with Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House.

“It will be a big, beautiful deal, and everyone will be happy,” Trump added.

Breedlove said Putin has repeatedly promoted a vision of global power sharing between Russia, China and the United States.

“The plan provides for three spheres of influence in which China controls the Far East, Russia controls Europe and America controls the Western Hemisphere. I do not expect much cooperation from European countries,” he said.

“The Western world is waiting to see what this big project is, and they’re very worried because it’s about them,” Breedlove added.

President Donald Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) hold a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Zelensky also warned Friday against a repeat of the 1945 Yalta Conference, where allied leaders negotiated the postwar European order before the Soviet Union consolidated its control over Eastern Europe.

“We don’t want Yalta 2.0,” the Ukrainian leader told CNN. “We do not want to be divided by Russia,” he said before adding: “For me, it is not simple and it can be dangerous.”

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that discussions were already underway about how Europe would respond to the war in Ukraine.

“This is one of the key topics that has been brought up repeatedly in all conversations, whenever negotiations have been discussed,” he said before heading to Paris for the G7 meeting.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Friday, April 4. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP)

“So I think that’s what the president is alluding to, that progress has been made and what that post-conflict architecture might look like. We obviously have to move beyond conflict to get to that point,” he added, clarifying Trump’s comments.

Breedlove, however, questions whether European governments and Ukraine would even agree to a broader deal negotiated without their participation.

“I expect that when we get a glimpse of what Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump have designed, there will be European partners and allies to include Ukraine who may or may not be captivated by the proposed solution.”

“We still haven’t said anything about Ukraine without Ukraine,” the expert said.

“We have also not heard about the participation of the EU or NATO in this conversation. And yet, the EU, NATO and Ukraine are central and at the heart of the topic that, apparently, will be discussed.”

Tensions also appeared to escalate after Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had a rare 90-minute telephone conversation with Putin on October 27, according to reports.

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A composite image shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) as peace talks continue. (Valéry Sharifulin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images; Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the various European diplomatic initiatives.

“I think Europe should stay united rather than acting alone,” she said as Breedlove went on to defend her action.

“The two calls that took place recently between the northern leaders of the NATO alliance and Russia, I don’t think they are inappropriate at all,” he said. “I think they’re quite appropriate.”

“The major European powers are starting to worry that someone is looking after their security without including them in the conversation,” he added.

Furthermore, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed on Sunday that France would participate in the Abu Dhabi negotiations.

“The Europeans will be well represented; France will be in Abu Dhabi to participate in these discussions,” Barrot said, according to Reuters.

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President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 15, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Breedlove warned that any deal requiring European nations to sacrifice their security to satisfy Moscow would still be met with fierce resistance.

“If Russia’s maximalist demands remain intact and, in order to find peace, the whole rest of Europe has to give up its security, sacrifice it, make itself more vulnerable to Russian attacks, then it will not go well,” he said.

“Putin has never been a partner for peace in Ukraine. Putin is not a partner for peace in Ukraine now.”

“EU countries, NATO countries and Ukraine are not going to sign up to a plan that suggests that Russia will once again be able to assemble its armies, cross borders and intervene in the internal affairs of its neighbors.”

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“We must understand that we are at war. Mr. Putin is at war with the West,” he warned.