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As Finland joins NATO, the alliance’s border doubles

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Finland has officially joined NATO, doubling alliance’s border with Russia in major blow to Putin

Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance on April 4.

The country’s foreign minister completed the accession process at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The historic policy shift, brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, quickly drew a threat from Moscow of “counter-measures.”

Finnish defence minister, Antti Kaikkonen said, “it is a big day for Finland. And it’s say it’s a win win situation it’s good for NATO also. Our next goal of course is to get our good neighbour Sweden to the full membership.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finland to its ranks, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposing NATO expansion as one justification for his invasion.

“This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger.”

Finland’s accession roughly doubles the length of the border that NATO shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted Finns to seek security under NATO’s collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

On the streets of Helsinki, a cautious welcome for the news.

“I feel it’s a good thing that Finland is joining NATO,” one resident said.

“In some ways I think it will make Finland a safer place but then again we don’t know what Russia will do and like yeah it’s a big question for me I think so.”

Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO.

Its defence minister Sergei Shoigu also said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.

The Ukrainian government hailed Finland’s move, calling it, quote, ‘the right choice.’

NATO has repeatedly stressed that it is solely a defensive alliance and does not threaten Russia.

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Is President Biden securing a ‘made in America’ supply chain for critical minerals?

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Rare earths elements are responsible for some of the most important materials involved in electric vehicle production, battery making, renewable energy systems and technology manufacturing.

 
Last year, President Joe Biden said he wanted to make rare earths an important domestic policy initiative and he signed an executive order to review gaps in the domestic supply chains for rare earths, medical devices, chips, and other key resources.

The Department of Energy announced a $30 million initiative to tap into researching and securing the U.S. domestic supply chain for rare earths and other important minerals in battery-making production.

But at the same time, President Biden also blocked the mining of rare earth minerals on more than 225,000 acres of federal land for more than 20 years.

Is it possible for the U.S. to change course and again have a seat at the table in producing rare earths elements?

To discuss further, Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp. joined us.
#rareearthelements #rareminerals #China #UnitedStates #Veronicadudo #luisamoreno

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Is the West too reliant on Chinese rare earth exports?

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Rare earths elements are needed to make iPhones, advanced batteries, military night-vision goggles and MRI machines. According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.

 
Critical earth minerals are a necessity for humans around the world.

They are essential to our modern-day lifestyles and critical in the creation of things such as iPhones, electric vehicles, and advanced precision weapons.

While the United States is dependent on other countries for many minerals, there is no country that America is more dependent on than China. And all these minerals come at a price.

Rare earths elements are needed to make everything from the technology we use every day like smart refrigerators and advanced batteries to night-vision goggles used by the military to MRI machines which are crucial to the medical field.

Many in the government, business, and science sectors have long raised concerns about how to ensure the West’s continued supply of these critical earth minerals.

The United States was once a dominant player in the rare earths supply chain, but for decades, that global market has been dominated by China.

According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.

Last year, the Biden administration even touted a new plan for the United States to rival China and end their decades-long dominance of rare earth metals market.

So, how reliant is the West on Chinese rare earth exports?

Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp joined us to discuss. #rareearthelements #china #unitedstates #greenagenda #veronicadudo #luisamoreno #trade

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Moscow says sending F-16 jets to Ukraine is a “colossal risk”

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As Ukraine braces a summer of violence, Kyiv is pleading for more air support from NATO

 
U.S. President Joe Biden recently granted his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained on F-16 fighter jets.

These jets can be used in a variety of combat scenarios, including air-to-air or gound-attacks.

In fact, the U.S. Air Force has described these jets as a “relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system.

Thousands of F-16s have been sent around the world. However, Kyiv has been requesting for this support for months.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky believes there is “substantial progress” in convincing western allies to equip Kyiv with fighter jets.

Zelensky said the jets are a “key component” of gaining an advantage over Russian forces.

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