“Damn Finland. Now we might have to go along too,” scolded Sweden’s foreign minister in the spring – the magazine explained Sweden’s NATO path

Sweden’s path towards joining the military alliance NATO has followed Finland even more closely than previously known.

Swedish Svenska Dagbladet (you switch to another service) from the extensive report published by According to the magazine, all the sources it interviewed say that Finland decided Sweden’s decision to apply for NATO membership.

– Damn Finland. Now we might have to go too [Natoon]said the Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde on March 18 to his party colleague, based on information from SvD.

Prime minister Magdalena Andersson and the turning of other Democrats’ heads on the NATO issue took place over a period of about eight weeks, based on the newspaper’s information. Among the last to turn to the position of NATO membership was the defense minister Peter Hultqvist early April.

The discussion around the issue started immediately after Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24. Initially, the line chosen was that it would not make sense for Sweden to change its security policy, i.e. military non-alignment, in the middle of a crisis. According to Andersson, applying for NATO membership would destabilize the situation in Northern Europe even more.

Already at the beginning of March, at a meeting between Swedish and Finnish decision-makers, it became clear to the Swedes how seriously the Finns view the growing threat from Russia and how quickly the opinion on NATO membership is changing in the neighboring country.

According to SvD, it was a surprise for Swedish Democrats that Finland’s Democratic Prime Minister From Sanna Marin there was an impression that something was happening regarding the NATO matter. The impression was not so much from what Marin said, but from how he said it.

According to the newspaper’s sources, the Swedes had difficulty getting an interpretation of the position of the Finnish Dems, because the old connections with Dem politicians of the older generation led to different conclusions than the conversations with Marin, who represents the younger generation.

Also the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistön the more cautious line aroused uncertainty among the Swedes about Finland’s intentions. At this stage, it was the beginning of March, and the Swedish government thought that the best option was to deepen defense cooperation with Finland.

At the Samak meeting of the Nordic labor movement’s cooperation committee held in Stockholm in mid-March, the Swedes once again noticed that the Finnish Democrats brought up membership in NATO, and now, according to SvD sources, Prime Minister Andersson also included NATO membership in his deliberations about Sweden’s alternatives.

Chairman of the Swedish Moderate Coalition Ulf Kristersson stated at this stage that the Swedish government does not seem to understand what is happening in Finland.

The realization happened in the first week of April. In discussions with the Finns, it dawned on the Swedes that NATO membership is the only option for Finland. This finally resolved the Swedish line as well, although it still took some time for an official decision.

Based on SvD’s article, Sweden’s NATO process was not without comic twists. The decision to apply for membership of the military union was confirmed when the Social Democrats’ party government supported it on May 15.

However, according to the newspaper, Defense Minister Hultqvist chatted about the matter already on May 12 in a careless phone call on the street.

– There is time before and after February 24. We can’t be the only ones left behind [Naton ulkopuolelle]the minister rang his cell phone in the center of Stockholm, referring to Russia’s invasion and other Nordic countries.

When a person who was listening to the minister’s call a few meters away pointed out to the minister that he was a journalist and that he could hear everything he was saying, the minister’s answer was quick.

– This never happened, Hultqvist said before jumping into the back seat of his official car and disappearing from the scene.

Prime Minister Andersson, on the other hand, hid matters related to the NATO deliberations, even from some of his closest colleagues for fear of leaking the matter to the public.

Svenska Dagbladet says the article is based on interviews and background discussions with around 30 politicians and civil servants in both Sweden and Finland. In addition, various documents have been used as sources, among other things.