Former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton warned that a war between Russia and Ukraine could lead to a direct war between NATO and Russia.
In an article on the American "Fair Observer" website, Bruton said that Europe is not ready to go to war with Russia, given the many challenges facing most of its countries.
He noted that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned last week that the Russian-Ukrainian war "could get terribly worse";
It may even lead to an all-out war between NATO and Russia.
Bruton described Stoltenberg's recent statement as "a disturbing statement from a man who is not in the habit of making disturbing statements."
Bruton - who previously held the position of ambassador of the European Union to the United States - said that fear was one of the main reasons that led to the outbreak of the current war in Ukraine, as Russia fears that it will be surrounded by NATO and the countries of the European Union hostile to it, and that many European countries have demanded to join NATO driven by fear of Russia.
He expressed his belief that the war is likely to expand, and that the Russian forces may use the territory of Belarus as a starting point to open a new front in western Ukraine, which will make the battles take place close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania, members of NATO, and warns of the possibility of one or both of them being drawn into the conflict. , which would lead to a direct confrontation with NATO.
According to the article, the European Union countries are not ready to fight a war on a larger scale than the war currently raging in Ukraine.
Despite the large, well-equipped armies possessed by European countries, sending them to the battle fronts, when needed, depends on the order of the United States.
In his article, Bruton touched on a number of problems facing European armies, pointing to their weak ability to transport heavy military equipment, as road and railway systems in Europe have not been designed to transport heavy military equipment quickly since World War II.
European armies also suffer from duplication and waste of resources, as they collectively possess 170 different weapon systems, which is a large number compared to the United States, which has a larger army, but the number of weapon systems owned by its army does not exceed 30 systems.
He said that the weapons stores in European countries have not yet compensated for the amount of weapons that came out of them in the form of supplies to Ukraine, and that Europe would be caught by surprise in the event of an all-out war with Russia.
Bruton referred to the huge economic problems that Europe suffers from due to the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, including inflation, high energy prices and food prices, to name a few.
He said that Europe must make unremitting efforts to identify the fears that fuel the charged atmosphere of the war now, and to search for solutions that take into account the concerns of all parties to the conflict, and that the West must not forget that despite the difficulty of dealing with the current Russian regime, Russia will remain after the end of the war. .
The former Irish prime minister concluded his article by urging the West to think carefully about its relationship with Russia after the end of the war and the change of the Russian position in peacetime, as Moscow, in his opinion, would be ready to respect the lands of all its neighbors, which would enhance the chances of peace.