Ukraine Receives First F-16 Fighter Jets

@#49 ... Now several more potential Vlad Victim countries have joined Nato. ...

I wouldn't say "several" but "two."

And two very important new allies against Pres Putin expansionist aims.

Sweden and Finland.

NATO's border with Russia has about doubled with Finland joining NATO. My guess is that Pres Putin did not expect that.

Both Sweden and Finland have ample experience in the Arctic region.

An Arctic region that has come into play because of global warming.

Pentagon unveils arctic strategy bolstered by new high north NATO allies Finland, Sweden (July 22, 2024)
breakingdefense.com

... Fresh off a NATO Summit featuring two new members hailing from the high north, the Pentagon today released its newest strategic document outlining the need for both the US and its allies to curb Russian and Chinese ambitions in the arctic.

The new document, the 2024 National Strategy for the Arctic Region, warns that both Moscow and Beijing are increasingly working together to facilitate their activities in the north, particularly in the wake of Russia's invasion into Ukraine.

"Increasingly, the PRC and Russia are collaborating in the Arctic across multiple instruments of national power," according to the document. "Russia's isolation as a result of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine has made it increasingly reliant on the PRC for financing energy export infrastructure in the Arctic. Over 80 percent of Russia's natural gas production and nearly 20 percent of its petroleum production comes from the Arctic, and Russia is increasingly turning to the PRC to fund this extraction and purchase these resources."

But in the same vein that Russia and China's cooperation is increasing, the strategy notes that NATO's newest members -- Sweden and Finland -- are both arctic nations with vast experience operating in the region and building ships that keep their ports clear of ice that would otherwise impede most vessels.

"The Arctic NATO Allies posses highly capable militaries, and thanks to longstanding cooperation, are all highly interoperable," according to the strategy. "NATO's enlargement, in addition to increasing Nordic defense cooperation, will create new opportunities for combined planning, information sharing, and exercises that will expand regional collaboration."

At the unveiling of the strategy today, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters, "The historic accession of Finland and Sweden to the NATO alliance not only makes them safer, but it makes our alliance stronger, including in the high north. ... We will continue to train and exercise alongside each other, strengthening deterrence deepening cooperation and ensuring our shared security in the arctic."

Among other things, a key reason why international interest in the arctic has been rising in recent years is the Earth's global warming, which is rapidly melting ice and in turn opening up new, useful sea lanes and commerce routes that countries such as Russia have already been eyeing for their own purposes. ...

An aside observation and question - has the Republican denial of climate (global) warming endangered the security of the Country?