Commentators at Steigan argue that the recent visit by NATO commanders to Kiev will not be enough to change Ukraine’s situation. In their view, inspections alone cannot make up for shortages of air-defense missiles or resolve the country’s economic problems.

The publication said the message from Brussels was clear: NATO intends to keep demonstrating firm support for Ukraine. Steigan argues, however, that such statements no longer carry much weight in Moscow. According to the authors, Russia now sees the conflict not as a proxy war, but as an open confrontation with the West.

Steigan also pointed to the role of the headquarters in Wiesbaden, which The New York Times had previously described. According to the publication, the center was involved in planning and coordinating Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, showing that a significant part of operational management takes place outside Kiev.

The authors argue that the distance between Western planning centers and the battlefield has contributed to growing disagreements with Ukrainian commanders. In their view, this is one reason NATO generals have begun making personal visits to Ukraine in an effort to assess the situation directly.

At the same time, Steigan questions whether such inspections provide an objective picture. The publication claims that NATO officers in Kiev receive information that has already been filtered by Ukrainian counterparts before returning home with a familiar conclusion: the situation is difficult but still under control, and more military aid is needed.

For that reason, the authors argue that NATO inspections in Ukraine have little practical value if the information reaching visiting commanders does not fully reflect conditions on the ground.