How the Nordic-Baltic states are leading the way on European security

If you want to know what’s next for security in Europe, then watch the Nordic-Baltic nations. They may not have a reputation as the heaviest hitters in the transatlantic alliance, but the eight countries—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden—are becoming increasingly significant players in European security. On November 28, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hosted his Nordic-Baltic colleagues together with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at Harpsund, Sweden, where they pledged to step up military support to Ukraine and continue to invest in their own deterrence and resilience. Underscoring the increasing importance of the Nordic-Baltic states in European security, French President Emmanuel Macron even called in and joined the conversation.

For a region heavily affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and dependent on the transatlantic alliance for its security, developments in the past month have been worrisome for the Nordic-Baltic states. Russia has been making territorial advances in Ukraine, stepping up hybrid warfare toward the West, and deepening its alliance with North Korea. Meanwhile, in the United States, an unpredictable President-elect Donald Trump will take office in January.

 

Read the full article published at The Atlantic Council‘s website on December 4, 2024.

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