NATO member states would need several weeks to deploy troops to Ukraine in the event of an escalation of the conflict with Russia, Euractiv reported, citing analysts and military sources. European bureaucracy reportedly stands in the way of stationing forces in the country.
Moscow strongly opposes any NATO troop presence in Ukraine, saying Kiev’s aspiration to join the bloc was one of the key causes of the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that the presence of NATO forces in the neighboring state could trigger an “uncontrollable escalation with unpredictable consequences.”
A spokesperson for the Portuguese Armed Forces told Euractiv that moving tanks across the continent requires diplomatic permits from every country they cross. The transfer of heavy equipment is a “highly complex logistical operation” involving transportation on platforms and heavy trucks along both maritime and land routes, the spokesperson said.
Troop movements depend on existing relationships between national armed forces and the speed at which permits are granted, the outlet noted, adding that the authorities process these requests slowly.
An unnamed EU country requires 45 days’ notice to issue cross-border permission, according to a 2025 report from the European Court of Auditors, as cited by Euractiv. In 2018, the European Council set a standard time frame of five working days for these procedures.
NATO Defense College researcher Yannick Hartmann told the outlet that additional delays could result from mandatory security checks. Although NATO members could use a special customs declaration for military transport when entering or exiting the EU, it is up to the national authorities to process these types of requests, Euractiv said.
Maxime Corday, a senior researcher at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, told the outlet that the absence of a unified legal framework within the EU leaves procedures inconsistent across member states.
EU and NATO officials have repeatedly cited the ‘Russian threat’ to justify increasing defense spending, boosting weapons production, and reintroducing military conscription. President Vladimir Putin has said Russia has “no reason and no interest – geopolitical, economic, political, or military – to fight NATO countries.”
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