NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) admiral Rob Bauer has claimed that the war in Ukraine would already have seen the bloc’s troops if it weren’t for Russia’s nuclear program. The United States-led bloc’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, has said that Russia’s nukes are the only ready NATO hasn’t put boots on the ground in Ukraine.

“I am absolutely sure if the Russians did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine, kicking them out,” the admiral suggested while speaking on Sunday during a defense summit in the Czech Republic

According to a report by RT, 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.

Russia also accused France of getting “ready” to deploy troops to Ukraine to fight against Russia’s military.

Russia Accuses France Of Getting Ready To Deploy Troops To Ukraine

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.” -RT

So far, it looks like Russia’s nuclear arsenal has been a deterrent to NATO even though the bloc has crossed almost every single one of Russia’s red lines. Should Russia decide to react to the continual crossings, the U.S. and the rest of the West could find themselves embroiled in a horrific war