Sweden has a similar relationship with NATO as Finland. In opinion polls and within parties, NATO support is rising. However, the government will not even warm up to the NATO option.
STOCKHOLM If you ask the Swedish Prime Minister From Magdalena Andersson or the Minister of Defense From Peter Hultqvist at any time of day to take a stand on NATO membership, the answer comes as if from a pharmacy shelf: Sweden is a non-aligned country and is not applying for NATO membership.
The response has remained the same for a long time and has not changed, although the security environment has deteriorated dramatically since the Russian invasion.
In this situation, too, the government, the Social Democrats, have not wanted to promote a NATO option like Sweden to Sweden, ie the opportunity to apply for membership.
However, it is supported by a majority of Swedish parliament parties.
The government’s argument is that the country’s security policy should not be changed in the midst of the crisis. According to the government, the long-term policy also served Sweden well.
Critics, such as the right-wing opposition however, Sweden urgently needs to re-evaluate its security policy.
One of its cornerstones has been international cooperation, but the war in Ukraine has shown that NATO only helps its members militarily.
Sweden is quite convinced that Finland is closer to NATO membership than Sweden.
The President of the Republic has been cited as an example Sauli Niinistö meeting with the President of the United States Joe Biden and a historic poll published by in which the majority of Finns supported NATO membership.
Sweden is also spectacular told (switch to another service)According to Iltalehti news, the Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the Social Democratic Party is turning its favor to NATO.
Ministers of Defense of Sweden and Finland Peter Hultqvist and Antti Kaikkonen met on Wednesday at Gotland at the Swedish Air Force air base in Visby.
Finnish F-18 fighters were refueled on the ground, after which they took to the air to practice defending Gotland.
Even at noon, it was not known that shortly after, four Russian fighters turned to Gotland and violated Swedish airspace.
The ministers also underlined the importance of Finnish-Swedish defense co-operation in the changed situation. But the common NATO tone was not heard.
– We have been saying for a long time that NATO membership is an opportunity and now different parties are considering their positions. The discussion is very lively in Finland, said Kaikkonen.
Minister Hultqvist, sitting on the other side of the couch, said that the possibility of applying for membership at the same time had not even been discussed with Finland.
– The Swedish government’s line has not changed. Our line is to develop our own defense capabilities and deepen our cooperation, Hultqvist told .
Now the focus in Sweden is on how long this line stays in place.
The Swedish media relentlessly follows even small signals from politicians.
The left-wing Social Democrats need a NATO position in order to see that the country has the necessary broad support to apply for membership.
Although the Swedish government’s outward line has not changed, many things are still different in Sweden.
Opponents of NATO have changed their position to positive or uncertain.
Events are now unfolding at such a pace that the lines carved in stone may soon be the same.