As relations between Russia and Sweden become increasingly tense, many Swedish officials are calling on their citizens to prepare for a new military conflict. “Russia is a serious threat to the security of Sweden and Europe in the near future,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom.
Sharing the same view, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson stated: "War can come to us at any moment and Ukraine is acting as Europe's shield in the conflict with Russia."
Swedish soldiers take part in a military exercise in Gotland. (Photo: Getty)
In a speech on January 7, Mr. Tobias Billstrom praised Sweden's planned membership in the US-led NATO military bloc as "the biggest change in Swedish security policy in more than 200 years."
In 2023, Sweden abandoned its centuries-long policy of non-alignment and joined NATO. Sweden's Nordic neighbor Finland followed suit when it joined NATO in April 2023.
Recently, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the deployment of 800 troops to Latvia to reinforce Canadian troops stationed there as part of the bloc's increased forward presence in the Baltic states.
Speaking about Sweden's future in NATO, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson affirmed: "Possessing nuclear weapons on Swedish territory in peacetime is entirely possible."
Moscow has repeatedly stated that NATO's continued expansion towards Russia's western borders and the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO in the future are the main causes of the ongoing conflicts. Russia views NATO as the main threat to its national security.
Earlier, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov accused the West of turning Europe into an “arena of confrontation” . At the same time, he warned that Finland and Sweden joining NATO would “have a negative impact on the situation in Europe”.
Moscow has said that supplying weapons to Kiev is gradually bringing NATO member countries directly into the conflict.
After Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO. The membership of these two Nordic countries was supported by most of the bloc's member states at that time, except Türkiye and Hungary.
Finland officially became NATO's 31st member in April. Then, on July 10, Türkiye also announced that it would support Sweden's admission, removing the final obstacle to Stockholm's NATO membership. However, the process of admitting Sweden is still ongoing.
When Sweden formally joins the bloc, it will help NATO increase its presence in the Arctic. Along with Finland, Sweden is a member of the Arctic Council, an organization that oversees the region. Russia, the United States and Canada are also members of the council.
Kong Anh (Source: RT)
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