Parliament adds 6.15 Bn NOK to the Government's proposal on the revised Defense Pledge, including more money for training/exercises, long range SAM's moved forward, and a "drone initiative".
Importantly, a unanimous Parliament is still behind the plan.
https://t.co/5atgoMKXEI
A massive political schism is opening in Europe. While Brussels pushes for total energy decoupling, Germany’s leading opposition party has just bypassed the government to hold direct talks with Gazprom on restarting the Nord Stream pipelines. 🇷🇺🇩🇪🇪🇺
🧵 👇
General Hautreux, commander of the 4th Airmobile Combat Brigade, has confirmed plans to deploy French Army Tiger attack helicopters aboard French Navy frigates, following successful operational trials and crew qualification efforts. The capability comes as 🇫🇷 and 🇬🇧 prepare a potential maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, where embarked Tigers could provide counter-drone, counter-surface threat, and force protection support for naval task groups.
via @ForcesOperation
https://t.co/KmSFUxCpIY
🇸🇪⚡ Swedish proposal could ruin Russian summer
Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) is now coming out with a Swedish initiative that could hit Russian tourists hard in the EU.
Last year, 477,878 Schengen visas were issued to Russian citizens.
Forssell: “It is completely unreasonable that Russian citizens are enjoying luxury holidays while Ukrainians are dying.”
Sweden wants EU countries to be able to deny visas based on nationality — something that is currently not allowed.
The proposal has the support of all Nordic countries, the Baltics, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Why Sweden is pushing this:
– stop Russian luxury tourism
– reduce security threats and espionage
– close loopholes used by the Kremlin
– make a political mark during ongoing wars
Forssell: “We must put an end to Russian weekend trips around the Mediterranean.”
What is happening now:
The proposal is at the EU migration ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg.
If it goes through, Russian travel to the EU could be severely restricted — perhaps as early as this summer, depending on processing times.
In short:
Sweden wants to close the door to Russian tourism.
The question is whether the EU dares to take the step.
🇸🇪🇧🇷 200 years of diplomatic relations & a defence partnership that continues to grow. During José Múcio’s visit, Brazil highlighted initiatives for 20 additional Gripen E/F aircraft, on top of the previously announced 25% increase to the original 36 E/F aircraft contract. (1/3)
From Strategic Outlook 11 @FOIresearch ”Russia: Striving Towards Agency in a Multipolar World Order.” By @MariaEngqvist & @ewannhed. Long Thread!🧵
1) ”Russia’s security policy since the late 1990s reflects a striving for agency in an international system perceived as Western-dominated. However, the ’end of history,’ as proclaimed by political scientist Francis Fukuyama in 1989, meant very different things for the West and for Russia. Since 2014, official discourse increasingly frames the confrontation with the West as a struggle in civilisational and existential terms. Yet Russia’s capacity to exercise agency in a genuinely multipolar order will be constrained by economic and geopolitical limitations.”
1. Luin Zelenskyin eilen julkaistun kirjeen Putinille.
Mitä enemmän sitä lukee, sitä vähemmän se näyttää kirjeeltä Putinille. Todellisuudessa kyseessä on viesti Washingtoniin, Eurooppaan, Venäjän eliitille ja venäläisille itselleen.
Muutama huomio 👇 https://t.co/gkQGNt8t1D
More than 80 percent of the alumina produced in Ireland was shipped to Russia this year. Russia needs it for weapons systems used to kill Ukrainian children and families, as well as for weapons systems it is also directing against Europe. Perhaps Ireland should reconsider its lobbying efforts and propose adding aluminum to the EU’s next package of sanctions. Just as, incidentally, Russian uranium and fuel rods should have been sanctioned long ago, and Germany must enforce the sanctions so that no more German semiconductors or circuit boards end up in Russian drones. Close the loopholes and implement the sanctions without exception.
https://t.co/dBmYIqNsVy
An important new paper from @alxgraef on the role of Sergei Karaganov in changing Russia's nuclear doctrine.
Recall that as of 2022, Russia's 2020 nuclear doctrine had a "high threshold" for use which did not match Putin's violent nuclear rhetoric. 1/7
https://t.co/Yan4HivKou
@HawCanNielSon@klart_skepp Stämmer i stort, men under republiken som länge hade en utskriven armé, var det indelning efter levnadsålder inte efter tjänsteår.
Vad säger forskningen om värnpliktens samhällseffekter? I senaste avsnittet av Rapporterat berättar FOI-forskaren Peter Bäckström om sin forskningen kring värnplikten. Lyssna här: https://t.co/hRnbaNj1Mu
Coming from a small country which two generations ago mobilised the vast majority of its male population at one point or the other between 1939-44 to fight off Soviets, the reluctance by Ukraine to address the manpower shortage is baffling. It was a different time, but still...
Prime Minster Frederiksen’s new centre-left wing government presented today has agreed on a defence policy including a few interesting points and specifies air and naval domains but unfortunately again nothing concrete about a plan for the army
1/8
8. Samalla raportti muistuttaa yhdestä asiasta, joka usein unohtuu Nato-keskustelussa. Nato ei korvaa kansallista puolustusta. Suomen on oltava vahva itse, jotta Nato olisi vahva Suomessa. Liittolaiset auttavat, mutta meidän on ensin kyettävä puolustamaan omaa aluettamme.