The West knows this, the EU military is weak, very weak in arms and men. Years of social programs destroyed their military- the Brits have admitted they can not even field a Division, after witnessing Russia’s manufacturing and seemingly endless war stocks has them very ill prepared, virtually no artillery as they choosed wrongly in believing air power could fill the gap. Fact is Vlad within days can take out all of the EU’s airfields.
Russian MOD has stated they started building up in 2015, for a planned 30 month long full intensity war with NATO. NATO is spent within three days of fighting in the manner they are witnessing. We have virtually nothing prepositioned in the EU, and dismantled all our bases over the years.
NATO is a hollowed out entity, having to rely 100 percent on the US, and everyone knows it. Much of the Ukies welfare donated arms don’t even make to their Eastern front from Poland, imagine getting an armored division 6,000 miles to the Eastern front in a full intensity war- our worn out C17’s are all getting overhauled due to high time airframe hours due to years of use In Afghanistan and Iraq…and should they be airlifted, very few airfields will be found operational …
Vlad holds all the cards, this war ends on his terms.
RE the US in NATO:
When I became old enough, in the late-Carter administration, to really pay attention the the political & ecomomic situation, both here in the USA and in Europe, it became clear that NATO was largely a political & ecomomic millstone around the neck of the US. The US was expected to provide the cash and weapons and also do the fighting for NATO, while Europe funded their socialist programs.
It remains the same today.