Sweden's Openness to Hosting Nuclear Weapons as a New NATO Member

Sweden's Stance on Nuclear Weapons

The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, has stated that his country would be open to hosting nuclear weapons in times of war. This statement comes in the context of the North Atlantic Alliance's nuclear sharing program, which has seen the deployment of US nuclear weapons in five different countries. The Polish leader has also expressed his hope that Warsaw will be able to join this program in the future. Kristersson made it clear in an interview with Swedish public radio that Stockholm would only consider hosting nuclear weapons in a wartime scenario. He stated, "In a war situation it’s a completely different matter. It would depend entirely on what would happen. In the absolute worst-case scenario, the democratic countries in our part of the world must ultimately be able to defend themselves against countries that could threaten us with nuclear weapons."

Sweden's Role in Deepening Military Ties

This statement was made as Sweden played host to the leaders of Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland in a discussion about strengthening military ties. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed her belief that Europe is entering a new era of potential threats, stating, "With all that we see from the Russian side, we are at the beginning of a new era. It would be wrong if we, as a government, said that you don’t have to deal with this in your everyday life."

Sweden's NATO Membership and Russia's Response

Sweden is the most recent addition to NATO. When Stockholm initially sought NATO membership, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would not oppose the move unless it led to the deployment of more weapons on Swedish soil. He said, "Only they should plainly and clearly realize that there were no threats before, now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in a mirror manner and create the same threats to the territories from which threats are created to us."

Poland's Willingness to Host Nuclear Weapons

NATO currently includes three nuclear weapon states and has US weapons stored in five additional countries, namely Italy, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Polish President Andrzej Duda has expressed his willingness to make Poland the sixth country to host nuclear weapons, stating, "If our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons as part of nuclear-sharing also on our territory to strengthen the security of NATO’s eastern flank, we are ready for it."

Russia's Reaction to NATO's Possible Expansion

In response to Duda's proposal, a Russian government spokesman said that the Kremlin would react if NATO decided to proceed with the plan. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman, stated, "The military will, of course, analyze the situation if such plans are implemented, and in any case will do everything necessary, [will take] all the necessary retaliatory steps to guarantee our safety."

Final Thoughts

The possibility of Sweden and Poland hosting nuclear weapons raises questions about the future of NATO and the balance of power in Europe. It also brings into focus the potential for increased tensions with Russia. What are your thoughts on this development? Do you think it will lead to a more secure Europe, or could it escalate tensions further? Share your thoughts with your friends and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.