The US-led military bloc is preparing land corridors that would enable US troops to rush to the front lines in the event of a European war, in a move that would seek to stave off a potential “Russian attack”, the Telegraph has reported.
In theory, US soldiers could arrive at one of five designated ports and then be transported along predetermined logistics routes on the continent.
“In these corridors, national militaries will not be restricted by local regulations and will be free to transport consignments without normal restrictions,” the report said.
The Ukraine conflict has demonstrated Kiev’s logistics bases being particularly susceptible to Russian precision strikes.
According to Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, commander of NATO's Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC), larger bases, like those seen in Afghanistan or Iraq, are no longer feasible as they can be targeted and destroyed with ease.
In the interview Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to US journalist Tucker Carlson, the president made it clear that Russia has no plans to attack any NATO nation.
“It is absolutely out of the question. You just don't have to be any kind of analyst, it goes against common sense to get involved in some kind of global war. And a global war will bring all of humanity to the brink of destruction. It's obvious,” he emphasized.
The Russian leader also added that such destructive rhetoric simply plays into “threat-mongering” militaristic hysteria.
Amid the heated discussions, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc has no plans to send combat units to Ukraine but called on member states to ramp up arms supply to Kiev.
NATO is expected to formally oppose deploying troops to Ukraine, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported earlier. According to a draft policy document to be approved at the bloc’s July summit in Washington, NATO would adhere to a “no boots on the ground” principle, which the Italian media described as “one of the key phrases” in the paper.