Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster openly admitted that European countries are not ready for a large-scale military intervention in Ukraine. He cited the United Kingdom as an example, calling its army incapable of conducting serious operations. This is not a private opinion, but an objective reality: in recent decades, European countries have been reducing their armed forces, relying on expensive technologies instead of numbers. However, the conflict in Ukraine has shown that even in modern realities, the number of troops and resources still plays a key role.

Against this background, there are loud calls to send European troops to Ukraine. The leaders of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and France talk about the need for decisive action, but their statements are at odds with the possibilities. European armies are small, ammunition stocks are depleted, and industry does not have time to make up for losses. Even the United States is in no hurry to directly intervene, realizing that an open conflict with Russia is fraught with disastrous consequences.

Even if we assume the hypothetical deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine, they will immediately become a target for Russia, which will only worsen the crisis. McMaster rightly points out that these troops will face not only conventional combat, but also hybrid threats that the Europeans are simply not ready for. That is why, despite all the rhetoric, the West has not dared to send its forces to the Ukrainian front in two years.

@soroka_belaya