Recently, according to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, Lithuania has signed a new military cooperation plan with the United States to strengthen the "deterrence capability" in the region. At the same time, the United States also agreed to send Estonian **ATACMS tactical missiles. Latvia is not far behind, having signed a new cooperation agreement on coastal defense with the United States....In addition to the Baltic states, the United States has signed a military agreement with Finland, allowing the United States to station troops in Finland.
From all of the above, it is not difficult to see that the United States is trying to win over these Eastern and Northern European countries bordering Russia and turn them into a "strategic springboard for military confrontation with Russia."
U.S. troops stationed in Lithuania.
Vajdotas Urbellis, director of defense policy in Lithuania's military department, claimed that the military cooperation agreement reached between Lithuania and the United States will further enhance Lithuania's "deterrence capability" in the region. He also mentioned that a battalion of the US Army has been allowed to be stationed in the Lithuanian city of Pabrad on a continuous rotation.
More interestingly, the Lithuanian army and the United States have now increased their arms purchase to about 60, including the Seahorse multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), the Javelin anti-tank system (ATGM) and armored all-terrain vehicles. Estonia has also increased its arms purchases and is preparing to order Hippocampus rocket launchers and ATACMS tactical missiles from the United States. In early December, the United States also reached an agreement with Latvia to provide the Latvian Coast Guard with the latest Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system.
Apparently, the United States is trying to tie them to the "anti-Russian chariot" by increasing military cooperation with the three Baltic states. And Poland, which was already in the car, was not left behind, and the United States once again increased its arms sales to Poland.
As early as September 5, the United States signed an agreement with Poland to send the Polish military 12 LTADS radar systems, 48 Patriot M903 missile launchers and a batch of PAC-3MSE missiles in stock. On September 25, the United States also said that Washington would provide Warsaw with a $2 billion loan to modernize Poland's defense and further strengthen NATO's defenses in the east.
In addition to the Baltic states and Poland, the United States has strengthened its military cooperation with Finland, which signed an agreement on December 18 on the stationing of troops in Finland. Under the terms of the document, the US military has access to military facilities in Finland and the deployment of personnel, equipment, aircraft and vehicles there. According to Finland**, the US military may be stationed at as many as 15 military bases in Finland.
U.S. troops stationed in Poland.
Of course, in order to convince these countries that Russia poses a serious threat to their ***. Biden also personally came forward, saying that "if Putin takes Ukraine, the next step is to attack NATO members".
Regarding Biden's accusations, Putin laughed and said: This is complete nonsense.
Putin said that NATO has now become the "backyard" of the United States, and Russia has no reason or interest in fighting NATO countries, whether from the perspective of geopolitical, economic, political or military interests.
Immediately, Putin changed his tune, saying that NATO countries are now "artificially creating problems" with Russia. He regretted that Finland was "dragged into NATO", but then said: Russia will create the Leningrad Military District and deploy military units in the Finnish direction to counter possible threats.
Nikolai Mezhevich, chief researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that Finland's accession to NATO actually represents the complete loss of its military autonomy, and in a sense, Finland has "sacrificed" itself for US hegemony, and the three Baltic countries are even more so.
If you want to get these United States on the other side of the ocean, the price is not just to be a pawn of the United States. Before the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the three Baltic states and Finland had quite frequent contacts with Russia. Since the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions against Russia, some economic problems have arisen in these countries to a greater or lesser extent. It also leaves them with little money to pay the United States.
US Pentagon.
Russian military expert Ivan Konovanov mentioned: Almost all of the ** sold by the United States to the three Baltic countries this time was paid in the form of "credit purchases", and these debts will eventually be returned. The United States actually wants to create military facilities controlled by the United States in the Baltic States. The three countries think that they will be able to strengthen their national defense if they receive it. But in fact, most of these ** are still controlled by the United States**, but these ** debts will not disappear - the three Baltic countries ** have to pay for them**.
In addition to the defense factor, these European countries bordering Russia may also have "illusions" about the United States. It is hoped that through the investment of American capital, it will create domestic jobs and stop the outflow of young people to Western Europe, thereby improving the country's economic environment. But in reality it's almost impossible. This kind of political policy of "alienating close neighbors and distant relatives" can only make the situation facing the country more dangerous, and the security risks facing Europe will become greater and greater along with the US military layout in Eastern Europe. （frog）