Stockpile diapers, medication, baby food: NATO members Sweden and Finland advise citizens on how to survive war

[Emrys]

21. The governments will behave responsibly. Neither I nor you have to tell them a thing.

These countries have been arming themselves against sub-nuclear threats for quite a while, partly because, unlike you Americans, they've been invaded and occupied and repelled the USSR/Russians in the past and aren't complacent. Finland has a vast system of underground bunkers under Helsinki built since the 1960s, so I don't think you have much to teach them about the dangers. Apart from that, there is no serious defence against real nuclear threats (unless you think you have impenetrable anti-missile countermeasures, and even then, you may face fallout), only mitigation and preparation.

Partly, I believe it's a counter to Putin, and not just for home consumption: "You wanna get real, huh? OK, we're scared but prepared, and pissed off. We whipped you and drove you out in the past, we'll do our damnedest to do it again, and we're better prepared now and have more powerful allies, and you're much weakened. And by the way, we'll survive you."

You could call it deterrence. The hope is it'll never be necessary.