NATO 'No Boots on the Ground' Ukraine Strategy to 'Silence Loudmouths'

The rationale behind NATO's new “no boots on the ground” in Ukraine strategy is to silence belligerent “loudmouths” in the West, international relations analyst Gilbert Doctorow told Sputnik.

The alliance’s decision was designed to “shut up Monsieur Macron, to shut up the prime minister of Lithuania and other loudmouths who have been calling for the dispatch of NATO troops to Ukraine to save the Kiev regime from imminent military defeat,” Doctorow said.

“No boots on the ground” in Ukraine is a key phrase contained in a draft document set to be approved by the NATO summit in Washington in July, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

NATO is set to centralize aid delivery to Ukraine, the report said. Until now, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has led the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG, also known as the Ramstein Group) of aid donors. But the newspaper said the July summit will transfer this task to NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Ninety-nine percent of what is being shipped to prop up Kiev comes from the 32 allied NATO partners, which provides the logistical reason for the move. Political justification lies in the Wests desire display unity in the eyes of public opinion.

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However, despite NATO's intent to declare a "no boots on the ground" policy, there are always alternative avenues for the US-led Atlantic bloc’s military experts to be present in Ukraine.

US Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder revealed in April that Washington was mulling sending more military advisers to the US Embassy in Kiev. The additional troops would ostensibly provide training and technical support to the Ukrainian government and military.

US military advisers to Kiev could become "a legitimate target" for Russia's forces, pundits told Sputnik at the time.

More recently, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte announced her country's readiness to send its troops to Ukraine for a “training mission.” She told the Financial Times that she already had the parliament's permission to send troops for training purposes, but Kiev had not yet asked for this.

“The Lithuanians are among the most irresponsible member states of the EU with respect to their policy towards Russia, expecting as they do, that the US will back them up if they come into direct conflict with Moscow,” Doctorow stressed.

But he noted that that the Baltic state's confidence in Washington’s support was “misplaced.” He argued the Biden administration would "not raise a finger” to shield Lithuania from potential Russian retaliation.

“Other EU member states are still less eager to risk Russian attack by crossing the red lines over co-belligerency,” added Doctorow.

Timing of the NATO's change in strategy is telling, following Russia’s unambiguous warning to NATO to stay out of Ukraine.

“The adoption of the decision NOW and the release of that decision to the general public NOW indicates the real effectiveness of the announcement several days ago by the RF Ministry of Defense of exercises to test the preparedness of its ground, sea and air forces to use tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war should Russia's sovereignty be threatened. This was the Russian push-back to Macron and it worked,” Doctorow said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry characterized Russia’s upcoming tactical nuclear missile exercises as an effort by Moscow to “cool down the ‘hot heads’ in Western capitals” threatening to escalate the proxy war in Ukraine into a full-blown Russia-NATO conflagration.

The exercises “must be considered in the context of recent bellicose statements by Western officials and the sharply destabilizing actions taken by a number of NATO countries to pressure Russia with force, and to create additional threats to the security of our country in connection with the conflict in and around Ukraine,” the ministry said in a press statement on Monday.

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NATO 'No Boots on the Ground' Ukraine Strategy Meant to Silence West's 'Loudmouths'