If Russia did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine kicking them out – NATO top general

Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, believes that if Western leaders were not restrained in their decisions due to the risk of Russia's use of nuclear weapons, they would have deployed their troops to help Ukraine in the war. 

Bauer was asked during a discussion organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies  whether it was time to expand aid to Ukraine,  hinting at the physical presence of specific Western allied forces. 

"Afghanistan. That's not the same as fighting the Russians in Ukraine. The Taliban didn't have nuclear weapons. The Russians do. And again, I'm not saying it's impossible. We take a risk as an alliance, and it's a political discussion(...): to take that risk," Bauer said.

The Dutch officer continued by saying that now that Ukraine has received almost the entire range of weapons, up to the F-16s, it is logical to ask why it took so long to make the decision, but in the beginning, the leaders really hesitated where the Kremlin's "red lines" were. 

"It is always simple to look back and say that [fear] was stupid, but if you have to take responsibility for that risk, then it is a different discussion…I am absolutely sure if Russia did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine kicking them out. But they have nuclear weapons. Itʼs not the same as in Afghanistan," he added.

Bauerʼs term in office is ending, and Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone will replace him.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in the spring of this year that the allies should not rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine to create "strategic uncertainty" for Russia.