Swedish Prime Minister Does Not Rule Out Deployment of Nuclear Weapons in the Country

Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, announced on Monday that despite opposition from critics and their calls for a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Sweden, he has no problem with the deployment of such weapons on Swedish soil during wartime. In this context, the Swedish Parliament is set to vote in June on a defense cooperation agreement with the United States. This agreement allows the U.S. access to military bases in Sweden and the possibility of storing equipment and weapons in this Scandinavian country. Following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden, which had pursued a policy of military neutrality for two centuries, joined NATO in March this year. In recent weeks, the 'Peace and Arbitration Society' of Sweden and other organizations have urged the government to explicitly state in the defense cooperation agreement that Sweden does not allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory. The Swedish government has repeatedly emphasized that there is no need to specify a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country. The government referred to the 'broad consensus on nuclear weapons' in Sweden and also to the Parliament's decision to ban these weapons in peacetime. However, Prime Minister Kristersson stated on Monday, May 13, that wartime conditions are different. In an interview with Swedish state radio, he said, 'In wartime, the situation is completely different and depends on what happens. In the worst-case scenario, if a country or countries in our region threaten democratic countries with nuclear weapons, we must be able to defend ourselves.' He emphasized that any decision regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons in Sweden would be made by Sweden and not the United States. Ulf Kristersson stated, 'Sweden decides about its own territory. However, our main goal in joining NATO and self-defense is to ensure that such a situation does not arise. If Ukraine had been a NATO member, it would not have been attacked by Russia.' The Social Democratic Party of Sweden, which was in power when Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022, announced at that time that it would work to express 'unilateral opposition to the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish soil.' Sweden's northern European neighbors, Denmark and Norway, both of which have been NATO members for some time, have refrained from allowing foreign countries to establish permanent military bases or deploy nuclear weapons on their territory in peacetime. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, known as NATO, has 32 members 75 years after its establishment, with new members Sweden and Finland joining after Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. At the 75th anniversary ceremony of the establishment of this organization, senior diplomats from member countries committed to continuing economic and military support for Ukraine.