US President Donald Trump’s statements have been shaken Europe lately.
In Sweden, many feel concerns. Is it longer possible to trust that the United States is prepared to activate the Article 5 of the Natostadgan in the event of an attack on a European ally?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to a Swedish NATO membership. Basically, it was about seeking American protection in what has been described as the most serious security situation since the Second World War. But if this support is no longer perceived as guaranteed, what does it mean for the NATO membership?
In order to try to meet these doubts, several politicians, such as Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch (KD), repeatedly repeated, time and time again in Agenda’s debate, that Article 5 continues to apply and that the United States has not given any other messages.
Try to calm down
However, the ministers’ statements are more about an attempt to calm troubled voters than a genuine insight into how the United States might act in a specific situation. Recently, on the contrary, the new presidential administration has confirmed its unpredictability, while it is clear that the link to Europe is not at all as important to Trump.
This means that Europe and Sweden need to take a much greater responsibility for their own safety. There, all parties seem to be fully agreed. The debate showed that there is total consensus both for continued support for Ukraine and continued renovation at home.
The defense has been doubled in recent years and until 2030 the increases will continue. But already the assessment is made that the defense needs additional supplements, especially if the United States is serious about its plans to reduce its involvement in Europe.
Battle for financing
How much it can be about for Swedish is unclear, but expect tens of billions of SEK in increased defense spending, in addition to what has already been decided.
However, how this is to be financed over the years to come will be the domestic political battle. A special emergency tax, says the Social Democrats, while the government believes that it is possible to cope without tax increases.
As regards the European renovation as a whole, there are divided sentences between the parties. Special loans guaranteed by the EU are a path that, among other things, the Social Democrats recommend. The government is more skeptical, but the issue is far from settled and will be raised by EU leaders in the future.