This is the real reason why the US needs NATO – Nuclear warheads directed to Washington

The NATO foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in Helsingborg, Sweden is overshadowed by the United States’ dissatisfaction with its allies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeated his earlier statements in Helsingborg that the president Donald Trump is disappointed with NATO.

Trump has been particularly disappointed that NATO allies have not helped enough in the war against Iran and in opening the Strait of Hormuz.

The US has been particularly unhappy with Spain, which has not allowed the US to use its bases during the attack on Iran.

Because of this, Rubio has previously also questioned whether it makes sense for the United States to be in NATO if the allies’ bases cannot be used. On Friday, he said that the alliance should benefit everyone – including the United States.

Confusion among NATO allies has also been caused by the US’s surprising and partly contradictory announcements about changes in the number of its troops in Europe. Earlier, the United States announced that it would withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany, and the night before Friday, Trump announced that the United States would increase the number of troops in Poland by 5,000 instead.

Rubio stated that the United States must constantly evaluate where it places its troops.

“This is not a punitive matter,” Rubio said.

NATO sources have described the recent actions of the United States as “totally confused”.

Rubio emphasized that the process (related to the transfer of troops) has been underway even before the “recent reports and tensions”.

Rubio emphasized in Helsingborg that NATO must also benefit the United States.

“At the end of the day, like any coalition, it has to be good for all parties,” Rubio said.

Norway appealed to Russia’s nuclear threat

Norwegian Foreign Minister Aspen Barth Eiden told in Helsingborg how the United States is kept in NATO.

“We remind our good friends on the other side of the Atlantic that NATO is good for them too.”

He appealed to Russia’s nuclear weapons threat, because most of Russia’s nuclear weapons capacity is located near Norway and Finland – on the Kola Peninsula.

“It has the majority of nuclear-armed submarines, the majority of Russia’s nuclear weapons capacity. These nuclear weapons have the ability to destroy almost any American city.”

The Norwegian foreign minister emphasized that if the US wants to avoid nuclear attacks during the war, then the US needs a good partnership with NATO: “because that’s where they are”, underlined Barth Eiden.

Norway’s role in NATO is special because the country is able to track Russian nuclear submarines, but Finland also has a possible role in detecting the first phase of the attack.

According to the analysis heard by Kauppalehti in Brussels, the Golden Dome defense of the United States will start not only in Norway, but also in Finland, because the Russian nuclear ballistic missiles aimed at the United States should initially be detected and countered from these countries.

Trump has emphasized the construction of the Golden Dome, a multi-layer missile defense system intended to protect the United States. His Greenland mission is also connected to this, because the shortest routes of ballistic missiles from Russia to the United States pass through the Arctic.

President Alexander Stubb commented on the topic earlier In an interview with Kauppalehti stating that “it goes without saying that about a hundred kilometers from the Finnish border is Russia’s strongest nuclear arsenal, and those nuclear warheads are not directed to Helsinki, Stockholm or Oslo, but to Washington, New York and elsewhere”.

“Of course, this makes the Arctic defense of the Nordic countries a very important area for the United States, and both the US defense forces and the country’s political leadership know that,” said Stubb.

Arctic NATO countries meet

The Arctic 7 group, i.e. the seven Arctic countries of NATO (the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark and its member Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and Finland) will also meet on Friday in connection with the meeting of foreign ministers.

Kauppalehti asked the foreign minister in Helsingborg From Elina Valton (kok) what is Finland’s message to the United States regarding arctic defense.

“We are very capable specifically together to take care and solve all security concerns that may be related to the area,” said Valtonen.

According to the foreign minister, the focus on the Arctic is now more significant than a few years ago, and with the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden, joint defense planning can now be done in the region.

Iltalehti asked Valtos if Finland is interested or ready to participate in the United States’ Golden Dome missile and air defense arrangement?

“As part of the union, we are looking at all the solutions that are necessary for us to take care of every centimeter of the union’s territory,” Valtonen answered.

He continued that “of course – as part of defense planning – we will participate within our own capabilities and, on the other hand, also of course within the framework of geographical boundary conditions”, Valtonen said.

The foreign minister was also asked if the uncertainty and unpredictability associated with the presence of US forces complicates NATO’s planning, and does it make Finland nervous?

“It doesn’t make us nervous – you understand that Finland is used to living in the vicinity of an unpredictable neighbor,” Valtonen said.