Sweden in 2013

[EndlessWire]

4. Well, I generally agree with you.

We get this all the time up in the Alaskan area. We always greet them with jets.

But, this Sweden thing is different. Plus, back in 2013 or therabouts, they also sent a nuclear sub. This time, in 2022, the Swedish Air Force greeted them. But, after Russia threatened Sweden with retaliation if they joined NATO, it is hard to say that this is just a normal probe of defenses. I worry a lot about this, because we have told Russia many times that we will NOT defend nonNATO countries. Sweden and Finland are nonNATO. We may have confused Putin as to what he can and cannot do. Clearly, we don't care about Ukraine. Oh, we care, but we are not going to enter the country to defend them. And, I have little reason to think that we would enter Sweden to defend them.

Sweden thinks that they have plenty of NATO friends to help them. But, they might be shocked in this new world of "drawing the line." Otherwise, we might have to explain why Ukraine didn't matter, but Sweden does. It's not right. The nuclear threat applies to Sweden every bit as much as it applies to Ukraine. It will simply be another side of the pickle we are in.

I also think that Poland is vulnerable in a big way; it is entirely possible that Putin has made the decision that NATO is all show and no go, and that he could take Poland on three sides and we would not be able to stop him.

Kaliningrad is chock full of soldiers and ordinance. He could nail Sweden big time without ever leaving port. And, then we would have to step up to the plate. So, in this day and moment in history, I don't regard probing jets as only a normal test.