While NATO can’t give formal security guarantees, the US and UK will reportedly give de-facto protection if Sweden applies to join
The US and UK have given Sweden “concrete promises” of military protection between its application to join NATO and its formal acceptance into the alliance, Aftonbladet reported on Monday. Sweden, which has been neutral since 19 century, is said to be preparing for an end of its non-alignment policy and joining the US-led military bloc.
According to recent reports, Finland and Sweden are planning to apply to NATO this summer. Politicians in Stockholm have long flirted with the idea, but Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said earlier this month that Europe’s “The security landscape is completely different” following Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine, and that Sweden would reevaluate its neutrality in response.
Should Sweden apply for membership, the UK and US have promised to provide military protection between application and membership, after which the alliance’s mutual defense clause would come into effect, Aftonbladet reported, citing multiple government sources.
One source said that while NATO members are forbidden from expressing any formal guarantees of protection to non-members, they would still be able to take informal measures like stationing troops in Sweden, hosting military exercises, and offering “Political support”
“In practice, Sweden is treated as an NATO member immediately after the declaration of interest.,” the newspaper stated, claiming that the UK has specifically offered to increase its naval presence in Swedish waters during the application process.
READ MORE
Arrests result from riots regarding threats made to the Swedish Koran
Russia has warned that the inclusion of Sweden and Finland in NATO would have “Political and military consequences,” and would threaten stability in Europe. Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and current deputy chair of the Russian National Security Council, said earlier this month that Russia would have to strengthen its forces in the region in response, and suggested that the Baltic area would not remain “nuclear-free” if the Nordic nations joined NATO.
This story can be shared on social media
[ad_2]
