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Finnish
prime minister Alexander Stubb meets NATO's Jens Stoltenberg
Nato - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - was formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and France.
Its aim was to block expansion by the Soviet Union - a group of communist states which included Russia.
Members agree that if one of them is attacked, the others should help it defend itself, external.
Nato does not have an army of its own, but member countries can take collective military action in response to crises. They also coordinate military plans and carry out joint military exercises, external.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nato said that it posed the "most significant and direct threat to allies' security", external.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Nato has admitted Sweden and Finland as new members, and has also been bolstering its defences in eastern Europe.
The UK government has promised to spend billions more on defence to counter threats from "authoritarian states".
WHO ARE THE MEMBERS?
Nato has 32 members across Europe and North America, including the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Spain and Turkey.
After the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, many Eastern European countries joined: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Sweden and Finland applied to join in May 2022, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They had been neutral for decades.
Finland - which has a 1,340km (832 mile) land border with Russia - joined in April 2023.
Sweden became a member in March 2024, after its membership was held up by both Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey said Sweden had been giving refuge to members of groups such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which it considers a terrorist organisation. However, it decided to back Sweden's membership in January.
Hungary's government was angry that Sweden had accused it of behaving undemocratically, but agreed to let it join in February.
The addition of Sweden and Finland represents the biggest Nato expansion since the 1990s. The two countries contribute nearly 300,000 active and reserve troops to the alliance's ranks.
Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia also hope to join Nato.
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WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS?
The demographics of the European Union show a highly populated, culturally diverse union of 27 member states. As of 1 January 2023, the population of the EU was around 448 million people - three times that of Russia. The population density of the EU is 106 people per km2.
The current population of the Russian Federation is 143,988,352 as of Thursday, June 6, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Russia's population is equivalent to 1.8% of the total world population. The population density in Russia is 9 per Km2 (23 people per mi2). The total land area is 16,376,870 Km2 (6,323,142 sq. miles).
The current population of Canada is 39,084,359 as of Thursday, June 6, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations. Canada population is equivalent to 0.48% of the total world population.
The population density in Canada is 4 per Km2 (11 people per mi2). The total land area is 9,093,510 Km2 (3,511,022 sq. miles).
The current population of the United States of America is 341,690,378 as of Thursday, June 6, 2024, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. The United States population is equivalent to 4.23% of the total world population.
The population density in the United States is 37 per Km2 (96 people per mi2). The total land area is 9,147,420 Km2 (3,531,837 sq. miles).
Total NATO population is roughly 828 million, against Russia's 144 million. In terms of young men coming into the fray, NATO has it.
It is said Russia could muster 1 million soldiers every year to fend off
Ukraine. But if NATO were involved, they might call on 5.75 million
troops a year.
The
only way for Russia to stand any chance against superior weapons and
numbers, would be to use nuclear weapons. And Vladimir Putin is a
gambler, who got his first move wrong. Putin thought he'd march into
Ukraine virtually unchallenged. He had to move fast, or Ukraine would
have joined NATO, and then even he would be daft if he provoked a fight
with NATO.
Putin
will throw everything he's got at Ukraine, no matter how many of his
soldiers bite the dust. He'll be hoping weapons supplies will dry up and
his revenues can support the human carnage he has caused on both sides.
DAILY MIRROR - NATO REVEALS BOMSHELL PLANS FOR WORLD WAR 3 WITH RUSSIA 'IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS'
The "land corridors" could see US soldiers arriving at one of five ports along pre-planned European routes to confront soldiers sent by Moscow.
NATO has plans in development to see American troops rushed to the front line should Russia begin a ground war against Europe.
The "land corridors" could see US soldiers arriving at one of five ports along pre-planned routes to confront soldiers sent by Moscow, according to Nato officials. Existing plans have armed forces landing at Dutch ports before boarding trains through Germany and onwards to Poland.
These news plans are still being put together and are being made behind the scenes to expand the routes to other ports. Nato is keen to ensure lines of communications cannot be severed by Moscow’s forces during any potential invasion.
At last year's Nato summit in Lithuania, leaders agreed to prepare 300,000 troops to be kept in a state of high readiness to defend the alliance.
Chief of Nato’s Jsec logistics command, Lt Gen Alexander Sollfrank, told
The
Telegraph: “Ukraine suffers very much from these Russian long-range missile attacks on the logistic systems." He added: “Everything is created in a way so the necessary resilience exists – robustness, reserves and also redundancies.”
He explained that if Nato forces entering from the Netherlands are hit by Russian bombardment, or northern European ports destroyed, the alliance is set to shift focus to ports in Italy,
Greece and Turkey.
From Italian ports, US troops could be carried via land through Slovenia, Croatia to Hungary, which shares a border with Ukraine. Similar plans exist to transport forces from Turkish and Greek ports through Bulgaria and Romania to reach the alliance’s eastern flank.
Plans are also being drawn up to transport troops via ports in the Balkans, as well as through Norway, Sweden and Finland. Ports in northern Europe, like the Netherlands, Germany and Baltis states are considered particularly susceptible to Russian missile attacks.
Lt Gen Sollfrank added: “Observing and assessing the Russian war in Ukraine, we have observed Russia has attacked Ukraine’s logistics bases. That must lead to the conclusion that it is clear that huge logistics bases, as we know it from Afghanistan and Iraq, are no longer possible because they will be attacked and destroyed very early on in a conflict situation.
“With regards to air defence... It’s always scarce. I cannot imagine a situation that you have enough air defence. That is a good example where a military principle applies: ‘If you want to be strong everywhere, you are strong nowhere.’”
HOW MUCH DO NATO MEMBERS SPEND ON DEFENCE?
Nato asks member states to spend at least 2% of their national income on defence.
The US spends nearly 3.5%, and several countries which border Russia - such as Poland and the
Baltic Republics - also spend more than 2% on their armed forces.
UK spending is currently just above 2%.
In April 2024, Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak said UK military spending would rise to 2.5% of national income by 2030.
Labour has previously said it is committed to a 2.5% target, when economic conditions allow.
A number of countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain spent less than the 2% target in 2023, external.
Former US President Donald Trump, who is campaigning for re-election, controversially said he would encourage Russia to attack Nato countries which failed to spend enough on defence.
Nato said there was an "unprecedented rise" in defence spending by several members in 2023, external, and that 18 countries were expected to meet the 2% level in 2024.
WHEN WILL UKRAINE JOIN NATO?
Nato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said it is "inevitable" that Ukraine will become a member, but not until its war with Russia ends.
President Zelensky has asked for Ukraine to be admitted as soon as possible afterwards.
Since July 2023, the Nato-Ukraine Council, external has coordinated efforts to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
Russia has consistently opposed the idea of Ukraine joining Nato, fearing it would bring the alliance's forces too close to its own territory.
WHAT WEAPONS ARE NATO COUNTRIES GIVING TO UKRAINE?
As a group, Nato has not sent weapons to Ukraine, but several individual member countries have.
The US, UK, Germany and Turkey have provided anti-tank weapons, missile defence systems, artillery guns, tanks and military drones.
The US and UK have also supplied long-range missiles.
The US is allowing two Nato countries, Denmark and the Netherlands, to transfer US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, once pilots have been trained to fly them.
Ukrainian media said the first planes could arrive in spring 2024, external.
However, Nato countries have not sent troops to Ukraine, and ruled out using their air forces to impose a no-fly zone over the country, because of fears such action could provoke a direct conflict with Russia.
HOW IS NATO INCREASING ITS DEFENCES AGAINST RUSSIA?
In 2023, Nato commanders agreed detailed plans for countering possible Russian attacks in the
Arctic and north
Atlantic, central Europe, or the
Mediterranean region.
It also announced plans to increase the number of its troops in Europe on high alert from 40,000 to more than 300,000. In addition, it has bolstered its defences on its eastern flank, bordering Russia, with eight battlegroups, external.
Until the end of May, Nato is staging Steadfast Defender, external, one of its largest ever military exercises, involving 90,000 personnel from all Nato countries - including
Sweden.
"We have gold because we cannot trust governments," President Herbert Hoover famously said in 1933 in his statement to Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Emergency Banking Act, forced all Americans to convert their
gold coins,
bullion, and certificates into U.S. dollars, to stop the outflow of gold reserves during the Great Depression. The writing was on the wall, but nobody could read it.
SECRETARY GENERAL MAKES FIRST VISIT TO HELSINKI SINCE FINLAND JOINED NATO, WELCOMES STRONG SUPPORT TO UKRAINE
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki on Thursday (6 June 2024), in his first visit since
Finland joined NATO.
The Secretary General stressed that with Finland as an Ally, NATO is stronger and Finland is safer. He welcomed that Finland invests 2% of its GDP in defence. “We also welcome the many Finnish contributions to NATO missions and operations. Just actually this week, you started to do air policing out of Romania. That's yet another example of how you contribute to our shared security,” he said.
Mr Stoltenberg also commended Finland for its support to Ukraine, including 2 billion euros in military aid thus far. “We will discuss at the NATO Summit and in the preparations for the NATO Summit, how to ensure that we stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said.
“Over the last months, we have seen some gaps, some delays in the provision of military support to Ukraine. We need to ensure that that doesn't happen again. And that's the reason why we are now working in NATO on how to establish a NATO mission for Ukraine,” added Mr Stoltenberg. He said that Allies should agree on a long-term financial pledge to ensure that Ukraine gets the predictability and accountability it needs.
While in Helsinki, the Secretary General also participated in an event hosted by the Atlantic Council of Finland alongside President Stubb, and met with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen.
On Friday, the Secretary General will visit Sweden and meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nato-reveals-bombshell-plans-world-32955155
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nato-reveals-bombshell-plans-world-32955155
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/how-would-russian-and-nato-armies-size-up-in-a-ww3-scenario/
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/how-would-russian-and-nato-armies-size-up-in-a-ww3-scenario/
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