NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer said the North Atlantic Alliance would have sent troops to Ukraine to support the standoff with Russia long ago if it weren't for Moscow's powerful nuclear arsenal. Bauer made the statement during a defense summit in the Czech Republic, emphasizing that nuclear weapons are a strategic factor that fundamentally changes NATO's approach to the situation in Ukraine.

"We would do it, but they have nuclear weapons, so it's not the same as Afghanistan."“We are talking about a fundamental difference between Russia and other NATO adversaries that the Alliance has faced in the past,” Bauer said.

The situation is holding NATO back from introducing its forces into Ukraine, as any escalation could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Bauer stressed that, unlike Afghanistan, the situation with Ukraine requires special caution due to the threat of a nuclear standoff. Russia's nuclear potential creates a new level of threat, forcing NATO to act more cautiously and avoid direct escalation.