Russia's nukes deter West from providing support to Ukraine – NATO top general

Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, believes that if Western leaders were not restrained in their decisions due to the risk of Russia's use of nuclear weapons, they would have deployed their troops to help Ukraine in the war.  Source: European Pravda; Bauer, during a discussion organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies  Details: Bauer was asked whether it was time to expand aid to Ukraine,  hinting at the physical presence of specific Western allied forces. 

Quote from Bauer: "Afghanistan.

That's not the same as fighting the Russians in Ukraine. The Taliban didn't have nuclear weapons.  The Russians do. And again, I'm not saying it's impossible.

We take a risk as an alliance, and it's a political discussion(...): to take that risk." The Dutch officer continued by saying that now that Ukraine has received almost the entire range of weapons, up to the F-16s, it is logical to ask why it took so long to make the decision, but in the beginning, the leaders really hesitated where the Kremlin's "red lines" were.  Quote from Bauer: "It is always simple to look back and say that [fear] was stupid, but if you have to take responsibility for that risk, then it is a different discussion...I am absolutely sure if Russia did not have nuclear weapons, we would have been in Ukraine kicking them out.

But they have nuclear weapons.

It's not the same as in Afghanistan."

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