Mika Aaltola

Trump’s new Section 301 tariffs hit the EU hard: 10% additional duties on EU imports over alleged forced labor enforcement gaps just as the EU-US trade deal (tariff cuts, quotas on ag/tech) was advancing toward final votes. Undermines the 2025 framework? #Tariffs #EUSTrade #ForcedLabor #EU

(TR) Finally some sense in the national discussion, half a year behind other Nordic countries. As the crisis escalates, it is in France's interest to decentralize its nuclear weapons. This is also in the interest of allies. This statement now increases the overall deterrent in relation to Russia.

(TR) The USA is at all times near the Strait of Hormuz. The targets are Iran's air defense and drone command positions. The choice of the island is not coincidental. It is a base for the Revolutionary Guard located at the world's most important oil channel. Iran is not toothless, but

(TR) This is stirring in Britain, and rightly so: 18-year-old British-Polish student Henry Nowak was stabbed to death in Southampton on December 3, 2025. The police who arrived at the scene put handcuffs on the victim after the perpetrator allegedly claimed to have been the target of a racist attack. Nowak died shortly thereafter.

Russia’s disinformation campaign in Africa must be stopped. Russia continues to be the primary source of disinformation in the region, actively seeking to undermine democratic developments and promote anti-Western sentiment. Europe must pay close attention to what is happening #Russia #Disinformation #Africa #RU #AF #EU

(TR) The European Parliament's international trade committee approved the trade agreement between the EU and the United States today with a clear majority. The agreement is not perfect. Few international compromises are. However, the alternative was not a perfect solution, but ongoing.

(TR) The growth of Finland's defense is an investment in our future. Now that we are raising spending to over 3% of GDP, let's emphasize domestic and European purchases. They strengthen our own industry, create jobs, and build strategic autonomy; we must not become dependent.

(TR) EU agreement on a new effective return system. -European return decision (mutual recognition) -Rapid returns in cases of security risks. -Return centers to third countries -Better voluntary returns, strict rules for disappearances.

”Tensions are already translating into hostile acts against the critical undersea infrastructure underpinning modern societies and the global economy. A newly invigorated role for NATO is welcome, if not a “silver bullet.”” https://t.co/6esis3Z10q #NATO #UnderseaSecurity #GlobalEconomy #Therearenospecificcountrycodesmentionedinthetweet.

China’s new outbound investment rules take force July 1. Beijing screens its own capital, polices its own tech, and punishes anyone who de-risks. China’s web of dependencies just became geoeconomic leverage. For Europe, de-risking is now a trigger, not a shield. #China #Geoeconomics #InvestmentRules #CN #EU

(TR) The championship favorite Canada thought they were marching to the finals. The Lions disagreed. 4-2. Today the gold game, in front of the host audience. The fifth star is one win away.

The nuclear rung is the wrong place to deter Russia. The conventional one is where it’s won or lost. Once Putin takes a sliver of the eastern flank and dares us to go nuclear, the game is almost over. Deter the first testing moves already happening, or face the worst choices. #NuclearDeterrence #Russia #ConventionalWarfare #RU

(TR) I warned about this. A drone exploded in an apartment building in Galați. On NATO and EU territory. Denial has become a weapon. Whether it's a false flight or not, the pattern repeats and the threshold is moved inch by inch. The deterrent does not know hesitation and the defenders of Russia.

This marks another dangerous escalation in Russia’s hybrid warfare against NATO. Repeated airspace violations are testing Article 5 thresholds. Supporting Ukraine’s deep strikes and bolstering Romania’s (and the Alliance’s) air defense is not optional, it’s urgent. #Russia #NATO #Ukraine #RU #NATO #UA #RO

(TR) Norway joins France's advanced deterrence initiative and signed a mutual defense agreement. France's nuclear deterrent is practically a common project of the Nordic countries, except for Finland. Europe is building its own security. NATO's supplementary deterrent is strengthened.

(TR) I have warned about the same thing. The situation is clear here. Finland is certainly well prepared. And has communicated this clearly to Russia. Russia's hybrid actions are becoming more direct.

(TR) rational and direct language. In the pressure of Russia's increasingly direct actions, it is not advisable to remain passive. It is good to emphasize unity and determination. Ukraine's right to self-defense and the continuation of support.

(TR) As the coordinator of the Parliamentary Democracy Shield (EPP), after dozens of hearings, I will say directly: the Moscow Patriarchate is a hybrid tool of the Kremlin. In Moldova, it consecrated electoral influence. Supo also confirmed this in Finland in November. This is not a church issue. It is

Rutte calling Trump’s planned US cuts to NATO’s crisis response forces 'structured' and 'business as usual' is managerial delusion. Neither endless European dependence nor erratic US withdrawal is sustainable. Both sides own this mess. #NATO #USForeignPolicy #EuropeanSecurity #US #NL

(TR) Russia's spoofing of Ukrainian drones in NATO territory is a classic gray area. Talking about a deliberate attack against a NATO country is politically explosive, so people prefer to talk about "accidents" or "deceptions." The escalation threshold is quietly lowering. This is

(TR) Europe shouldn't rush into suicide out of the fear of death. China is not the solution to Trump anxiety, but a country that, through geo-economic means, is undermining Europe’s industrial foundation and is trying to economically bind the continent to itself. Fortunately, this has been recognized. Actions are on the way.

(TR) Apparently, Russia is planning to open a new front from the direction of Belarus. Europe has shown a willingness to negotiate. Russia, however, tends to escalate its aggression and double its stakes. Filthy rich or dirt poor.

(TR) Russia knows we know that it is lying. So why does it then indirectly threaten especially Latvia? Because for Russia, the truth is never the audience. It tries to make all truths equally suspicious. "The audience" is tripartite: domestic Russia, the Global South, and

(TR) Taiwan is not just an island. It is the key. The first island chain blocks the Chinese coastal waters. Taiwan is the key to the chain. Its loss would open the Pacific to China and collapse the regional defense architecture. Xi knows this. It is not about China's "reunification."