NATO plans to create "military Schengen" for troop movement in Europe

“This initiative would enable unrestricted movement for the military within most of the EU,” Sollfrank noted.

"At the heyday of the war in Ukraine, Russia fired 50,000 artillery shells per day. These rounds have to reach the howitzers. So you have to set up warehouses - for ammunition, fuel, spare parts, and provisions," he added.

He noted that the creation of a "military Schengen" is influenced by the fact that the Alliance must quickly deploy its troops across the vast expanse of Europe.

"We are running out of time. What we don't get done in peacetime won't be ready in case of a crisis or a war," he stated.

He believes that NATO should not encourage the Kremlin to miscalculate, showing that Moscow may have a chance to win because of its unpreparedness, Sollfrank warned.

"We need to be ahead of the curve. We have to prepare the theatre well before Article 5 [of the Washington collective defence treaty] has been invoked," he said.