You’re right, rehearsal for war doesn’t lead to peace. Holding hands and singing Kumbaya does.
Doesn’t serve to put words in people’s mouths. I’m a big believer in Washington’s “at all times ready for war” stance, as well as Sun Tzu’s tenet of “breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”.
There is one force that is too absent from the NATO side of the equation, especially in this arena. It stays absent, then the Russians are not intimidated and the European side thinks they can throw off all of their restraints.