Falcon powers – Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Kristersson expressed his openness to deploying nuclear weapons in his country “in times of war” amid demands for their ban on the territories of states that recently joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The Swedish parliament will vote in June on the bilateral defense cooperation agreement concluded with the United States, which will allow Americans to access Swedish military bases and store equipment and weapons there.
Sweden has abandoned its longstanding policy of military non-alignment, which it followed for 200 years, by joining NATO last March. Many non-governmental organizations, including the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, which advocates for peace, have called on the government to include a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on Swedish territory in this agreement.
The government has repeatedly stated that such a step is unnecessary, citing the “broad consensus on nuclear weapons” in Sweden, as well as the parliamentary decision that prohibits nuclear weapons in times of peace.
However, the Swedish Prime Minister believes that the situation should be evaluated differently in times of war.
He stated to the public radio, “In times of war, the situation is entirely different, and this depends on what will happen.”
The Prime Minister added, “In the worst-case scenarios for democratic countries in our region, they must be able to defend themselves against countries that might threaten us with nuclear weapons.”
He emphasized that such a decision depends on Sweden, not the United States, and added, “Sweden makes decisions concerning Swedish territory.”
Kristersson clarified, “The goal of our NATO membership and our defense is to ensure that this situation is not repeated. If Ukraine were a member of NATO, it would not have been attacked by Russia.”
The Social Democratic Party, which was in power in Sweden when the membership application was submitted in May 2022, stated at the time that it would seek to express “unilateral reservations regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory.”
Denmark and Norway, both NATO members, have refused to allow the permanent deployment of foreign military bases or nuclear facilities on their territories in times of peace.
