The Military Potential of the Alliance in Europe
Ivan Sichen
In my previous article, “The West Enters the War. New Steps to Support Ukraine”, I concluded that the United States and NATO are likely to be involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine if it is continued by Moscow. And this is not just an assumption, but an objective reality. The war of this scale that is currently taking place in Ukraine cannot help affecting neighboring countries. Moreover, such developments are already taking place in reality.
However, the United States and NATO have everything to repel Russia. Especially since the main part of Russia’s combat-ready troops has already bled to death and is stuck in Ukraine. That is why the West can lift all restrictions on the military support of our state. This includes creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and transfer of heavy weapons to it, including combat aircrafts and air-defense systems of former Soviet origin. In addition, the West may deploy US/NATO military units to Ukraine. No matter how impossible such prospects may seem, we will see them.
Violations of Poland’s and Romania’s air borders by Russia’s UAVs have brought to the fore the issue of NATO’s defense against threat from Russia, which was previously largely hypothetical. Especially as after the UAVs, Russian cruise missiles may also fly to Central and Eastern European countries – members of the Alliance.
Therefore, neither the United States nor Europe will be able to stay away from Russia’s war against Ukraine, or to limit their participation with sanctions against the Putin regime and the Russian economy, or some arms supplies to our country. The war will inevitably come to the doorstep of NATO itself.
However, in case of a direct military confrontation, NATO has with what to repulse Russia and inflict a decisive defeat on it. And this is clearly understood by the leadership of the Alliance and individual member states.
In this regard, I would like to return to the beginning of the article, namely, the issue of prospects for the US/NATO deployment of its troops to Ukraine. This is not so impossible as it seems. For example, Polish Deputy Prime Minister J. Kaczynski has already called on NATO to send an international peacekeeping mission to Ukraine.
The full article is available in Ukrainian
