Sweden is rushing to strengthen its defense capabilities and has applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine, but has yet to be ratified by Turkey and Hungary. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union (EU) together in 1995 and have gradually aligned their defense policies with the West, but have shied away from joining NATO.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) meets Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in Stockholm REUTERS
Although Sweden is an independent country, its geographic location places it in the same "strategic environment" as its liberal democratic neighbors, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt told CNN. Russia has warned Finland and Sweden against joining NATO, saying it would not bring stability to Europe. Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said there would be no nuclear-free Baltics if Sweden and Finland joined NATO.
The main reason for Sweden to join NATO is to protect the island of Gotland, which is strategically located in the middle of the Baltic Sea, 250km from the Russian base in Kaliningrad and is the hub for access to the eastern Baltic. The Swedish Foreign Ministry issued a statement on April 25 stating: "Sweden summoned the Russian Ambassador to inform that five employees of the Moscow embassy have been asked to leave, due to actions inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." According to the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the five Russian diplomats were asked to leave to ensure Stockholm's national security. These people are accused of actions inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Finnish and Swedish military equipment during a recent exercise with NATO countries. REUTERS
It is known that last year, just two months after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, Sweden expelled three Russian diplomats on charges of illegal intelligence activities in the country. As a member of the European Union (EU), Stockholm has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia. In return, Russia has put Sweden on the list of unfriendly countries. A report by the Swedish Parliament's Defense Committee said that the possibility of Russia attacking the country cannot be ruled out, Swedish national television station SVT quoted sources as saying on June 18. "Russia has also lowered the threshold for using military force and has shown its willingness to accept political and military risks. Russia's ability to deploy air force, navy, long-range weapons and nuclear weapons against Sweden remains intact," SVT quoted the report as saying.
Sweden’s admission would give NATO an advantage in the Baltic Sea, a strategic waterway that borders the Russian city of St. Petersburg and some of NATO’s most vulnerable members. “NATO’s main goal is to keep Russia away from the Baltic states,” Skaluba said, referring to Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. NATO’s increased military presence on the Baltic coasts would help bolster the security of those countries, he said. “If Sweden and Finland were to formally join NATO, it would provide the alliance with another supply route through the Baltic Sea. Currently, NATO relies heavily on the Suwalki Gap, a narrow corridor separating the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus that Moscow could try to block in a conflict.”
If Finland and Sweden join NATO, Russia will share a border of more than 2,500 km with 6 NATO member countries. Photo: CNN
On July 28, speaking to reporters after a meeting on ensuring Russia's security in the northwest in the context of NATO's expansion in this direction, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia's response to threats arising from Sweden and Finland joining NATO will be symmetrical. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev affirmed that "as for our response to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, as President Putin said, this response will be symmetrical." Mr. Dmitry Medvedev also emphasized that Russia's relations with Finland and Sweden will be reviewed after these countries join NATO.
Newsweek quoted military experts as saying that Russia's Baltic Fleet would face "serious problems" if Sweden joined NATO because NATO's dominance in the Baltic Sea, which surrounds Russian naval bases in the Kaliningrad region and the city of St. Petersburg, would be strengthened if Sweden joined the US-led military alliance. President Tayyip Erdogan signed a protocol on Sweden's NATO membership on October 23 and submitted it to parliament, the Turkish presidential office said. This is the first step for the Turkish parliament to approve Sweden's application to join NATO. To become a member of NATO, Sweden needs to get approval from the parliaments of all member states.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
Sweden is still waiting for the Hungarian parliament to ratify its NATO membership application, however. This is the final step required in the national ratification process to join the US-led Western military alliance. Hungarian lawmakers were due to vote on Sweden's NATO membership for the first time in 2022, but the process has been repeatedly stalled due to opposition from the ruling Fidesz party. A ratification vote was scheduled for July, but it failed due to a Fidesz boycott, leaving the Hungarian parliament without enough votes to pass the measure.
According to AFP, speaking at a meeting with Hungarian President Katalin Novak in Brussels (Belgium), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Budapest to quickly ratify Sweden's accession to the military alliance. "The Hungarian government has repeatedly stated that it will not be the last ally in NATO to ratify Sweden... Now, I hope Hungary will fulfill that commitment. The Hungarian parliament should vote for ratification immediately," Mr. Stoltenberg emphasized. On October 25, an aide to Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the Hungarian government is looking for "good, normal relations with Sweden", but believes that some of Budapest's conditions have not been met. The official added: "If we achieve (good relations), there will be no obstacles to this country's accession."
Relations between Sweden and Russia have deteriorated after the conflict in Ukraine. Sweden has applied to join NATO and is waiting for the approval of the parliaments of the last two countries, Türkiye and Hungary. However, since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, Sweden and Russia have always expelled each other's diplomats. Although not yet an official member of NATO, relations between Sweden and Russia have been on a downward trend since 2022, with many tensions. Therefore, many commentators and analysts believe that relations between Sweden and Russia may continue to increase and conflict if Sweden is recognized as an official member of NATO./.
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