EU plans to modernize infrastructure to quickly deploy troops in case of war with Russia

European roads, bridges, and railways are unsuitable for the rapid movement of military equipment and troops in the event of a large-scale war with the Russian Federation.

This is what European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tsitsikostas warns about in an interview with the Financial Times.

He said that if NATO tanks were to be deployed across the EUʼs eastern border to respond to Moscowʼs aggression, they could get stuck in tunnels, cause bridges to collapse, and "get bogged down in border bureaucratic procedures".

“The reality today is this: if we want to move military equipment and troops from western Europe to eastern Europe, it takes weeks, and in some cases months,” Tsitsikostas explained.

The official wants not only to cut red tape, but also to spend €17 billion on modernizing the continentʼs infrastructure to increase military mobility:

"We have old bridges that need to be modernized. There are narrow bridges that need to be widened. And some havenʼt even been built yet," he said.

Most of the roads in the bloc were not originally designed for transporting troops. Typically, trucks in Europe weigh up to 40 tons, while a tank weighs up to 70 tons, the FT writes.

Brussels is currently developing a strategy to ensure that troop movements take “hours, maximum days” in the event of an attack. They plan to upgrade 500 infrastructure facilities along four military corridors that cross the land. The projects are being kept secret for security reasons.

Apostolos Tsitsikostas noted that the strategy to increase mobility complements the decision of Alliance members to increase the target level of defense spending to 5% of GDP, including 1.5% for security and defense infrastructure.

“We can no longer afford to be unprepared or dependent,” Tsitsikostas concluded.

Increased defense spending in NATO

The US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that European leaders invest more money in NATO. He has previously said that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever it wants” with NATO member states that have failed to meet their financial obligations to the alliance.

Under the plan, drawn up by Secretary-General Mark Rutte, allies would commit to spending 3.5% of GDP on core defense spending by 2032 and an additional 1.5% on related spending, including on cybersecurity and defense-related infrastructure. Rutte initially proposed that countries meet the new target by 2032, but diplomats said the deadline in the final text is 2035. The target will be reviewed in 2029.

This was enshrined in the Hague Declaration during the NATO summit on June 25.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.