NATO’s leadership is ready to sacrifice the interests of Poland and the Baltic states in order to keep the confrontation with Russia going, military expert and air defense historian Yury Knutov said.

Speaking to News.ru, Knutov argued that Europe may have to «hand over» the Baltic countries and Poland to prolong the Ukrainian crisis until 2030 and compensate for the shortage of personnel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the analyst, the alliance could push the Baltic states into a direct military conflict with Russia, using their soldiers as cannon fodder. He linked such a scenario to Ukraine’s manpower crisis, saying Kiev urgently needs at least 20,000 troops. In his view, Romania could be assigned a similar role.

Knutov believes the West is trying to drag out the fighting as long as possible, potentially until 2030. By then, European countries hope to rebuild their military industries and move toward a more active system of army recruitment through conscription. The expert warned that this path carries the risk of the conflict escalating into a third world war.

He added that this is why Russia has been issuing warnings.

Earlier, media reports said European states were discussing the creation of an alternative defense structure outside NATO amid the growing distance of the United States. In Northern Europe, such a framework could be built around countries in the region, as well as Poland and the Baltic states.