How Russia Likely Sees Nordic Defense

Sweden and Finland are moving closer to the western sphere of defense, while Norway has long held strong defense relations with the U.S. and NATO, as one of NATO’s founding members. The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with Olga Oliker, Senior Advisor and Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), about how these developments are likely to be seen in Russia.

The Cipher Brief: Norway, Sweden, and Finland seem to be engaging in closer defense cooperation with the United States. Sweden and Finland recently signed new defense cooperation agreements, and Norway is expected to let more U.S. marines enter into the country in January. Is there more defense cooperation with the U.S., and if so, is this to strengthen defense vis-à-vis Russia?