Biden hosts leaders of Finland and Sweden.
US Nuclear Facilities in Northern Europe
Would Become Targets in Russia-NATO Clash
TASS
SIRIUS, Federal Territory (March 6. 2024) — The facilities in Northern Europe hosting US nuclear weapons will be included in the list of legitimate military targets under a scenario of a direct military clash between Russia and NATO, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival. Zakharova warned that if US nuclear weapons were deployed to Northern Europe, “the security of the countries hosting these weapons will by no means get stronger, but on the contrary be harmed.”
“One does not have to be a military strategist to realize that such facilities will represent a source of direct threat and, naturally, will inevitably be included in the list of legitimate targets under a scenario of a direct military clash between our country and NATO,” Zakharova said, while commenting on Finnish President Alexander Stubb’s statements that his country “must have a real nuclear deterrent.”
Zakharova warned that if US nuclear weapons were deployed to Northern Europe, “the security of the countries hosting these weapons will by no means get stronger, but on the contrary be harmed.”
She expressed the certainty that the Finnish leader had not informed his voters about the military-strategic implications of such a decision.
“To what extent the people of Finland are aware of the risks they will have to face is a big question. Such a decision will really change a lot in the context of that country’s security and other issues relevant for that state,” Zakharova pointed out.
At the same time, she stated, it is the scenario of a military confrontation between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance that “the United States and its satellites are heading for.”
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson flies to US in bid to join NATO.
NATO to Fly Sweden’s Flag on Monday
Stuart Lau / Politico
BRUSSELS (March 6, 2024) — Sweden will formally join NATO as early as Thursday, two officials with knowledge of the plan told Politico.
The exact time of entry depends on Hungary’s pace of registering its confirmation of Sweden’s bid in Washington.
A flag-raising ceremony has been scheduled at alliance headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels at noon on Monday to ceremonially mark the accession, the officials said.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström are traveling to Washington today. Sweden’s accession documentation will be officially deposited at the U.S. State Department, formally ending the process.
Sweden cleared the final hurdle to become the 32nd ally last week, after Hungary — the last holdout among member countries — held a parliamentary vote to approve the bid. The new president, Tamás Sulyok, signed it into law on Tuesday, immediately after being inaugurated.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has maintained contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin in defiance of Western pressure, withheld approval of Sweden’s bid for more than 600 days.
Turkey also slow-walked Sweden’s accession on the grounds that it was not tough enough against the Kurdish minority living in the country.
Sweden’s accession will be a strategic blow to Moscow. It turns the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake, making it much easier for the alliance to keep track of Russia’s naval movements. Sweden also has a well-armed military and an advanced arms industry.
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