Why is NAT0 Considering a Giant EKRANOPLAN❓

What would happen if Russia continued the giant Ekranoplan airplane project left by the Soviet Union?
In the 1960s, the Soviet Union embarked on an ambitious project to build a giant airplane that could take off and land like a plane but cruise like a ship. The Ekranoplan, or "flying cruiser," was designed to be able to travel at extreme speeds over long distances. But the project was abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.