Yesterday at 20:20
Western leaders are announcing increased spending on their defense and in support of Ukraine. Finland faces new threats from its neighbor. Armed Finnish border guards patrol the country’s eastern flank, NATO’s newest and longest border with arch-enemy Russia. London will send Typhoon fighters to Poland. These aircraft should strengthen the protection of Polish airspace, and in Sweden preparations for a possible military conflict with the Russian Federation are already planned, FREEDOM reports.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who constantly and persistently calls on allies to increase funding for military spending, reiterated that helping Ukraine counter Russian aggression is also a contribution to the security of the countries of the transatlantic community themselves.
“The most expensive alternative is to let Putin win in Ukraine, because then we will actually live in a much more dangerous world. Then our security will really be at risk, and then we will have to devote much more to our defense compared to the support that we currently provide to Ukraine. So, the reality is that you have to pay for an aggressive neighbor,” Stoltenberg emphasized.
Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces Eirik Kristoffersen said that supporting Ukraine is his top priority for this year.
“I said it last January: I don’t see a short-term military solution in Ukraine. In response, I received a lot of negativity because we all wanted to make sure that Ukraine would win the offensive. But I didn’t see us investing enough for that. And I still think we don’t invest enough in support. Therefore, we need to continue to do this,” concluded Kristoffersen.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said London will send Typhoon fighter jets to Warsaw to strengthen the defense of Polish airspace.
“Air defense is vitally important and the UK wants to support Poland in this and work closely together. We are large military states that help Ukraine. We have been helping Poland’s neighbor for two years now. When it comes to our military assistance, I want to help even more,” the British Prime Minister emphasized.
Sweden and Finland, two new NATO members, have an important role to play in maintaining peace while preparing for a potential war, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
“The best way to avoid war is to talk less and prepare more. I think you feel the same. This is quite understandable. Television screens are filled with wars in Europe and the Middle East… That’s why we want to have a strong army, that’s why we joined NATO,” said the Finnish leader.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Russian military-industrial complex is already working to fill weapons depots. At the same time, he warned Europeans about dictator Putin’s further military ambitions.
“You can tell in your naivety that he is doing this to protect himself. As a skeptical person, I would say in this case that he is doing this because he has certain plans,” Pistorius emphasized.
According to political scientist Oleg Posternak, the increased threat from Russia directly to NATO countries causes an adequate and objective understanding of these risks.
“First of all, this concerns the Baltic countries, Poland, the Scandinavian countries, as well as the countries of Southern Europe, which also, let’s say, woke up from the malicious goals of the Russian Federation,” he noted.
Bloomberg reports that Sweden wants to prepare its infrastructure for a possible military confrontation with Russia, and therefore the country needs to modernize its ports, roads, railway networks, hospitals and shelters. By the end of 2028, about a thousand qualified Swedes should be called upon to protect energy supplies. These people will build stronger fences and increase monitoring of the power grid.
Read also: Support for Ukraine will be built in a new way: the first statements of “Ramstein-21”
