NATO must act pre-emptively – expert

This was stated by the President of the Center for Global Studies Strategy XXI Mykhailo Honchar in a comment to Ukrinform.

"The functionality of Article 5 needs to be tested now, not when Russia takes direct aggressive actions. As NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer mentioned, preventive measures should become the foundation of the Alliance's strategy. However, the pitical leadership of many NATO countries is not ready for decisive steps. The history of supplying Ukraine with modern weapon systems such as HIMARS, F-16s, or Storm Shadow missiles clearly demonstrates this indecisiveness. Months, or even years, pass between decisions being made and their implementation," Honchar said.

According to him, this allows the Kremlin to act aggressively without expecting serious position.

"The Kremlin is using intimidation, shifting its nuclear doctrine from deterrence to threats. I believe this has been understood in London and Paris. That is why, earlier this year, Macron spoke about the possibility of boots on the ground — NATO tros on Ukrainian soil to assist Ukraine. However, over half a year has passed, and we still haven’t seen real steps in this direction. Discussions continue, but their results remain at the level of words," said the president of the Center for Global Studies Strategy XXI.

In his view, achieving consensus among the 32 NATO member countries under current conditions seems unlikely, so the only sution is the formation of a "coalition of the willing."

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"This coalition could include countries that are already demonstrating readiness for active action: France, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Pand, the Baltic States, and Scandinavia. This does not require consensus from NATO as a whe — it's enough for one or several countries to make a decision at the national level. In the end, Putin is not just shifting his nuclear doctrine from deterrence to intimidation. He fully understands that if not the West as a whe, then certain countries will sooner or later adt a more decisive position," the expert believes.

At the same time, according to Honchar, it is not necessary for any of the NATO member countries to send their armed forces to assist Ukraine.

"But more weapons can be provided to us without restrictions, rather than what is being done now — insufficiently, late, and with limited ammunition. In the end, Russia can be defeated through hybrid methods — using its own weapons. For example, blocking tankers from passing through Danish straits heading to Baltic ports for loading oil and petreum products. This is one of the tions, but far from the only one," emphasized Honchar.

As reported, Bruno Kahl, Chief of German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), stated that Russia is prepared to carry out erations in Western countries, with which it is preparing for war, without any restrictions or warnings. If NATO does not invoke Article 5 in such cases, it will fail as a defensive alliance.