WAR PREP in Europe’s north? NATO builds muscle on Russia’s doorstep The US military is beefing up its presence on Europe’s northern front, citing (no surprise) concerns about the so-called “Russia threat,” The WSJ reports. The Trump administration wants NATO to get “more lethal,” turning Northern Europe into their favorite testing ground near Russia’s border, it added. 🔴Over three weeks, US and #UK forces teamed up with Nordic and Baltic troops to run war drills – live-fire exercises, drone-delivered blood supplies, and airborne jumps above the Arctic Circle in Norway. 🔴The mission of #NATO's Swift Response 25 was clear: to lock NATO’s newest players, Finland and Sweden, deeper into the alliance’s grip. 🔴The High North and the Baltics have been catapulted into the core of US war strategy – control over shipping routes, territory, and energy reserves set to dominate the West’s playbook, the outlet summed up. NATO’s muscle-flexing isn’t subtle – testing grounds today, battleground tomorrow?

Russia will not allow NATO to turn Baltic Sea into its lake, says senior diplomat #Moscow will not allow #NATO to turn the #Baltic Sea into its own lake, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander #Grushko said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel. "The use of words such as 'control' is further proof of the North Atlantic Alliance’s desire to turn the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake, a metaphor they like to use in public statements. However, this will not happen for many reasons, with the main one being because Russia will not allow it to happen," he pointed out. Grushko noted that Russia would do everything to "protect and safeguard" its interests. He stressed that Moscow had already announced retaliatory measures to the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland, saying that the Leningrad and Moscow military districts would be re-established and the Karelia Corps would be formed. "We would like the Baltic Sea to remain a sea of cooperation and interaction, as well as a waterway for trade," Grushko added, noting that there were "no prospects" for the implementation of NATO’s plans. According to him, Russia will closely follow the rhetoric of its adversaries. "However, as for specific measures, they will have to be determined depending on the activities that NATO and individual NATO countries carry out in the Baltic Sea," Grushko concluded. At a press conference following a Helsinki summit of the Baltic nations, NATO Secretary General Mark #Rutte announced the launch of the Baltic Sentry mission in the Baltic Sea, aimed at protecting underwater infrastructure, including energy and data cables. The mission’s launch came in response to the damage to an undersea cable connecting Finland and Estonia.

Finnish news agencies report that the underwater #telecom cable linking #Finland and #Germany has been severed. Finnish authorities believe that the cable was sectioned intentionally.

NATO shouldn’t accept Ukraine due to risk of nuclear escalation with Russia #NATO shouldn't promise to welcome Ukraine into the alliance in order to de-escalate tensions with Russia, which have increased after the start of the Ukrainian conflict, The 'American Conservative' said. According to the magazine, NATO and the US in particular should agree to talks with Russia to de-escalate nuclear risks that have increased due to the #Ukrainian conflict. The magazine pointed out that this task has become even more important following the recent accession to NATO of formerly neutral #Finland and #Sweden, which has made Russia even more reliant on its nuclear arsenal. The article said that the nuclear deal between NATO and #Moscow must include commitments not to admit Ukraine to the alliance and not to deploy the bloc's troops and infrastructure on Ukrainian territory. NATO Secretary General Jens #Stoltenberg said on June 17 that the alliance's member states had begun consultations on the need to put nuclear weapons on alert. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry #Peskov said that Stoltenberg’s statements were yet another escalation of tensions.