Sweden🇸🇪 Ally #32 = True❗️
Sweden joins #NATO after challenging journey. What was set to be a fast process hand in hand with Finland 🇫🇮turned out to be a bumpy ride with several delays. Here is my recap of the winding road to membership. A 🧵thread: #StrongerTogether #WeAreNATO 1/12 Sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine in Feb 2022, a historic shift took place in #Finland. For the first time, most Finns wanted to join NATO. Across the Baltic Sea, Swedes also became more favorable towards joining. But it is not easy to take out insurance when the 🏠 is already on 🔥.
atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…

As we enter 2024, we must ask ourselves; what more can the West do to make #Ukraine win the war against Russia? In this open letter to @POTUS we, more than 200 experts, politicians, military officers and intellectuals propose the follwing: (thread)leuropeen.eu/2023/12/11/arm… ✅Lift the restrictions on the use of weapons supplied by the #US, and call on the coalition member countries to do likewise, so that the Ukrainian army can neutralise military structures and equipment, ammunition and fuel depots, and military production facilities deep inside enemy territory.

Last week we kicked off the 5th #Baltic Sea Security Conference in #Stockholm, gathering representatives from 15 countries (#Nordics, #Baltics, PL, #UK, Fr, Ge, NL, #US, Ca). Here are my key take aways from the discussions, marked by a sense of urgency and severity.
A thread🧵: ✅Russia constitutes a direct and acute military threat in Europe, and especially to those states it perceives to be in its "sphere of interest".1/10

Erdogan´s move to only ratify #Finland goes against the wish of those 28 allies who have already ratified both Sweden and Finland – together, as it was intended. Turkey creates a wedge in #NATO that mainly serves the interest of Russia. A thread👇

atlanticcouncil.org/content-series… 1/5 Russia benefits from a fragmented and unfulfilled security architecture in Europe. Hungary, also with close ties to Russia, will follow suite and only ratify Finland.

Against a backdrop of severe tensions with Russia, last week’s #MSC2022 was full of bold words, but little bold action. The stakes are higher than ever—but the transatlantic community does not seem to be up to the challenge.
Here are my takeaways ⬇️ Teamwork and US leadership was a common thread through #MSC2022
In contrast to previous crises, #sanctions packages were prepared, coordinated, and ready to be executed within hours.
The #US has also been helpful with #energy security following the suspension of Nord Stream 2.

As we wake up to the one of the worst days in Europe's modern history, we have to realize that bold words need to be matched with bold action. My take from #MSC2022
@KKrVA_Sverige @Marshall_Center @ISDP_Sweden @AFF_sweden #föpol #säkpol #utpol @benjaminhaddad

https://twitter.com/atlanticcouncil/status/1496628447514443778

@ConStelz @jana_puglierin @ClaudMajor @apolyakova @LaurenSperanza @NathalieTocci @KerstiKaljulaid @KPisarska @SlaughterAM @jgotkowska @general_ben @FrencLindley @FrankeBenedikt @ischinger @M_Baranowski @benedettabertiw @SophiaBesch