The US-led bloc’s troops would already be on the ground in Ukraine if it weren’t for Moscow’s nuclear arsenal, Rob Bauer claims
NATO forces would already be on the ground in Ukraine fighting Russian troops if it weren’t for Moscow’s arsenal of nuclear weapons, the outgoing chief of the US-led bloc’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, has said.
Speaking on Sunday during a defense summit in the Czech Republic, Bauer recalled NATO’s past experience of taking part in conflicts in Afghanistan and in Iraq. He noted that fighting Russia in Ukraine would, however, be “not the same” as fighting in Afghanistan because the Taliban militants did not possess nuclear weapons.
“I am absolutely sure if the Russians did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine, kicking them out,” the admiral suggested.
The prospect of NATO soldiers being deployed on the ground in Ukraine has been a point of debate in the West since the escalation in early 2022 of long-running Russia-Ukraine tensions. While no country has outright supported the idea for fear that it would lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, some, like French President Emmanuel Macron, have suggested that the option cannot be completely ruled out.
Last month, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also argued, in a statement to Politico, that Brussels should revive talks about EU “boots on the ground” in Ukraine, particularly as retaliation for the alleged participation of North Korean soldiers on the side of Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly warned against the deployment of Western forces to Ukraine, with Russian President Vladimir Putin stressing that such a move could lead to a “serious conflict in Europe, and a global conflict.”
Meanwhile, Russia has also been updating its nuclear doctrine, with Putin stating that Moscow should have the right to consider the nuclear option if it is attacked by a non-nuclear state that is backed by a nuclear-armed one. Such an assault should be treated as a joint attack when considering a retaliatory response, Putin said.
