The expert assessed the reduction of US military commitments to NATO

Alexander Ermakov, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security, told on Wednesday, June 17, why the United States is reducing its military presence in Europe.

The United States refused to provide the North Atlantic Alliance with an aircraft carrier strike group, a combination of strategic bombers and more than 50 fighters, RT reports.

According to the expert, the US decision will not lead to any noticeable changes, since we are talking about conditional groupings that are considered quickly accessible in military planning.

"Declaratively, this is a continuation of the policy of the administration of [US President Donald] Trump's plan to redistribute American military efforts to the western hemisphere and the Pacific Ocean," Ermakov said in an interview with Mail News.

He also drew attention to the context of the events — the irritation of the American leader with the European allies turned into a practical plane. Trump has repeatedly made it clear that if Europe is seriously concerned about its own security, it should invest more in its own defense, rather than relying on Washington, he recalled.

"The borders between NATO and the European Union are blurring"

Russian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar — on the military expenditures of the alliance, support for Ukraine and the risks for EU enterprises working in the military-industrial complex of Kiev

Earlier in the day, the Finnish parliament approved legislative amendments that lift the current ban on the import, manufacture, storage and use of nuclear weapons in the country, according to the website. kp.ru . This is evidenced by the results of the legislative body's vote, IA Regnum reports.

The Financial Times newspaper reported on June 2, citing sources, that the United States is discussing the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in additional European NATO countries using dual-purpose aircraft capable of launching nuclear strikes. It is clarified that a number of Baltic countries and the eastern flank of NATO, including Poland, are interested in the proposal to deploy aircraft.