@darnell

Serious question: Does it?

While I certainly want Europe to be ready, the war in Ukraine has shown that Russia's military might is perhaps exaggerate. It has deep knowledge of Ukraine, as well as proximity, and yet it's struggled to win what many thought would be an easy conquest.

What hope does Russia have if it provokes NATO, even without the US? I'd argue that such an action would immediately activate the common interests of NATO and result in a military conflict that Russia is nowhere ready for.

The real danger here isn't Russia, but Russia's tenuous allies of China and Iran acting under the cover of such a conflict.