Under the plans, a fuel line would be connected from Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic in order to supply troops should an emergency arise in NATO’s eastern border states
NATO is planning to connect a pipeline to supply its Member States with jet fuel in case a wider conflict breaks out with Russia.
The line would connect Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, as military strategists raise concerns over how fuel could be supplied in the event of an emergency.
German daily Der Spiegel shared an internal memo from its country’s armed forces, which says, “[There are] major challenges in ensuring a reliable fuel supply” for the alliance’s troops should they be needed on the eastern frontier.
At present, NATO’s pipeline system – which dates back to the Cold War – doesn’t go any further east than Germany. Polish and Czech officials are yet to comment on the plan, which could cost more than £17billion.
It comes amid concerns that Vladimir Putin could turn his sights on other eastern European countries after Ukraine, drawing NATO into a broader global conflict.
General Sir Alexander Richard David Shirreff, the former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told Times Radio: “I think the events of the last week have made the likelihood of war with Russia within the next three to five years much, much more likely.”
He noted Putin’s broader involvement in the region, including conflicts in Moldova, Georgia, and electoral interference in Romania.
Shirreff explained: “Once he’s achieved his aims in Ukraine, he’s not going to stop. He’s already started in Moldova, Georgia and with electoral manipulation in Romania.
“I think he will turn his attention to the Baltic states which were part of the Soviet Union. Putin, like other Russians, will think of the Baltic states as belonging to Russia.”
Shirreff continued: “Where does that take us? They are close allies of this country and the rest of the European nations, and therefore that means that we will almost certainly be in a state of war with Russia over that if they try to have a go at the Baltic states.”
