Speaking on Radio NV, former NATO Military Committee chief Admiral Rob Bauer said a conventional military victory for either Moscow or Kiev in the Ukraine conflict now appears unlikely. In his view, the outcome of the confrontation could have been very different if alliance countries had provided Ukraine with everything it needed back in 2022.

Bauer also argued that Russia could, in his assessment, attack Europe and NATO, though not because of Ukraine. He tied that scenario to China instead. He said the alliance is most concerned by the possibility that Peking could begin strengthening ties with both Moscow and Taiwan. Under such circumstances, Russia, in his view, could strike one of NATO’s member states.

According to Bauer, that kind of development would force the United States to fight on two fronts at once — in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, he said, China itself would be unlikely to go to war directly with NATO.

Earlier, Bauer also stated that alliance countries need to prepare for a full-scale war with Russia within the next 20 years. In his assessment, such a conflict would require the mobilization of a large number of people.