Minna Ålander 🌻

Thank you ! 😄

It's comforting when an intelligent person as @alanderminna.bsky.social 🇸🇪🫶🇫🇮 says what I myself has screamed into the void about taking initiative.

Minna:"That is why Europe needs to finally seize the initiative and stop wasting time trying to manage Trump."

Read this article 👇

“The UK will not diverge much from the European model. That means Brexit really is the worst of all possible worlds, like a divorce where you neither move out nor download a dating app, but instead remain confined to one room in the marital home.”
@stephenkb.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/007f...

I think the answer is "More than we think we can, but less than we need to be able to do". That definitely applies in the NB region, where our NATO Enhanced Forward Presence contribution is underpowered & a long way from potential reinforcements in a crisis.

What I ask every time when I talk to British officials is:

What are you able and willing to do without the US ?

Because that is the no. 1 question on my mind looking at the UK from the Nordic-Baltic region, where faith in the UK is perhaps even a bit unrealistically strong.

Nice to see that the US Secretary of State is laser-focussed on the real threats to American security...

I agree. I understand the urge to keep trying to stop Trump doing more harm to UK interests, but Starmer & other European leaders need an honest conversation with voters about the effect of US abandonment on our security, & what we now need to do to protect ourselves.

Ms Ålander (@alanderminna.bsky.social) doesn't mince words either. Her view from Finland:

...the policy document was “actually useful. It codifies in policy, in black and white, what has been evident all year long: Trump and his people are openly hostile to Europe.”

Many thanks ! 😊😁

Vær mer som Finland:

European Council president warns US not to interfere in Europe’s affairs The new US national security strategy codifies a seismic shift in transatlantic relations, say experts

Good prime @theguardian.com on European reactions to the US National Security Strategy, including comments from @maxbergmann.bsky.social, @mijrahman.bsky.social, @alanderminna.bsky.social and me:

Not the princesses and that’s the whole point

Lithuania declares state of emergency over Belarus balloons The Baltic state says the balloons, which have forced the closure of Vilnius airport, constitute a "hybrid attack" by Belarus. It says they have been sent by smugglers to fly in cigarettes.

This balloon strategy is so stupid and so effective 😐

Norway to buy two extra submarines, Denmark buys new surveillance ship in Nordic maritime push  - Breaking Defense Oslo and Copenhagen have separately, and on the same day, confirmed significant additions to their naval forces, both aimed at strengthening surveillance and protection of undersea infrastructure and ...

Oslo and Copenhagen have separately, and on the same day, confirmed significant additions to their naval forces, both aimed at strengthening surveillance and protection of undersea infrastructure and strategic maritime areas in the North European waters.

breakingdefense.com/2025/12/norw...

Survey: Finns' willingness to defend country remains high Four out of five respondents said that in the event of a military attack, they would be willing to participate in national defence operations, based on their abilities and skills.

In Finland, willingness to defend the country remains high at 78 percent and NATO also enjoys 84 percent approval rating

Total defence in the 21st century: not only princes get (or have) to do officer training, but princesses too !

In Sweden, even princesses are part of the country's defence

Crown Princess Victoria has complemented her officer training, learning about Air Force operations, strategies and future development at the Air Combat School. Course completion included flying in a Gripen

Photo credit @forsvarsmakten.se

"..humouring Trump was distasteful but necessary. Europe was able to avert much worse outcomes and limit Trump’s ability to do harm by patiently manoeuvring him back in line after each outburst. However, the grovelling strategy always had an expiration date. That date has now definitively passed..."

Time is short. For Ukraine and the world.

"That is why Europe needs to finally seize the initiative and stop wasting time trying to manage Trump. If Europeans themselves drive the agenda, together with Ukraine, they will not constantly be caught off guard and need to manage yet another crisis."

Estlands marinchef: Ryska skuggflottan skyddas av krigsfartyg - Ekot Den ryska skuggflottan, det vill säga de hundratals fartyg som fraktar olja åt Ryssland för att kringgå sanktioner, har börjat använda nya metoder för ...

Russian warships are protecting the shadow fleet in Baltic Sea, confirms Commander of Estonian Navy.

”At any given time, there are at least two Russian warships” in the Gulf of Finland.

A mood

When the 20-somethings that wrote the US National Security Strategy had to first ask AI what a ”strategy” is:

Same Posture, Less Influence? Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration's plans for Europe and NATO are confusing.

I wrote a new essay on my Substack about the NSS, the latest reporting on the Global Force Posture Review, and the politics of major troop withdrawals. open.substack.com/pub/alanoszk...

„Wenn die Europäer konzertierte – und professionelle – diplomatische Anstrengungen unternehmen würden, um Russland nicht nur zu vermitteln, dass es „so lange dauern wird, wie es dauert“, sondern auch, was wirklich nötig ist, könnte dies tatsächlich zu einem Ergebnis führen.“

Lesenswert ☝️👇

The US view is that Europe is breaking from immigration and, deep down, wants peace with Russia at all costs.

It is at best delusional but Europe still needs to act on it. As @alanderminna.bsky.social says, we need a new strategy.

(And Americans needs to see how costly it is to cut off friends)

Thanks Nicolai ! And yes indeed I feel like the biggest issue is our inability to think outside the US military box because Europe is so used to following US doctrine

Very good piece. A remark from a conference this week stuck in my mind, where a colleague argued that Europeans need to develop a 'European way of ear' as their whole strategic thinking and military doctrine is based on US approaches, capabilities and technology.

When I was writing my book To Die With Such Men, following an Int'l Legion unit in Ukraine, I once thought I could end with a reference to this story from the Kherson offensive. I don't expect to hear a reaction like this for a long, long time. But I hope Minna is right in her strong piece below.

Thank you Nuno ! ☺️

This is an absolute must read from one of the best geopolitical minds in the game @alanderminna.bsky.social