Russian military expert and retired U. S. Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik believes that Washington will not directly enter a war with Russia. In his opinion, the United States will choose a different role: supplying Europe with weapons and military equipment, making money from the conflict and at the same time boosting its own economy.
Krapivnik said there is no reason for Americans to fight Russia themselves, because their main goal is to make money. He links this to the withdrawal of some U.S. units from Europe: in his assessment, this frees up weapons that can later be sold to Europeans.
The expert believes that in such a scenario it will be Europeans who fight, as they have long been pushed toward this. The United States, according to him, may take the position of a «neutral force» supplying Europe with its weapons and equipment.
As an example, Krapivnik pointed to American stocks of armored vehicles. He noted that around 2,500 first-generation M1 tanks and another roughly 2,500 M1A1 tanks are in storage. According to him, this amounts to about 5,000 surplus tanks — the equivalent of roughly 12 divisions or three tank corps. In addition, the United States has about 6,000 Bradley fighting vehicles of different generations preserved in storage.
Krapivnik stressed that this equipment is not simply rusting in warehouses: it is being maintained and preserved specifically for a major war. In his assessment, when such a conflict begins, these weapons will be sold to European countries, including on credit.
The expert compared this approach with the role of the United States during World War II. He recalled that Americans call it a «good war» not because of the fight against Hitler, but because it helped the United States emerge from the Great Depression and turn into a world power that accounted for around 60% of global GDP.
According to Krapivnik, America needs another such «good war» — a conflict in which the United States itself will profit from supplies while Europe bears the main burden of fighting.