Public opinion in Sweden has also changed since the start of the war. Almost half of Swedes are now in favor of accession. The social-democratic ruling party is against it for the time being; According to Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, it is better to have a consistent and predictable security policy than to quickly give up Swedish (formal) neutrality.
The discussion was last week Raised by opposition leader Ulf Kristersson† He promised if an election win in September – when Sweden goes to the polls – that he would apply for NATO membership, provided there is a majority in parliament. “The Social Democrats have no right to veto this issue,” he wrote in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN)† An analyst from the public broadcaster SVT predicted that the N-question will become one of the most important election themes.
There is already plenty of debate on the opinion pages. According to DN Sweden should take an example from Finland, where the prime minister has announced a ‘quick and thorough NATO discussion’ for this spring. The daily criticizes both the opposition ‘which is trying to capitalize on the issue politically’ and the government ‘which sees how the European playing field has changed but only dares to follow the old routes.’
The newspaper itself is already out. “Obviously we belong to NATO. And that a realistic discussion is not about whether, but how and when we connect’, according to the editorial commentary†
Another sound sounded in Svenska Dagbladet† A former Swedish ambassador and a former reporter argued that joining would not only provoke Russia but also send a bad signal to Ukraine. Sweden and Finland, with their neutral status, are proof that NATO membership is not a requirement, that a neutral status can also be a positive example. And vice versa – what would it mean if Sweden and Finland, precisely at the very moment when Ukraine is pursuing a status similar to theirs – to escape the jaws of the monster – these countries have decades or even centuries of successful policies on the dung heap. throw away from history and turn away from this tried and true model?’
Petr Dejmek, a professor emeritus who fled the former Czechoslovakia in 1968 after the Soviet Union invaded, finds such thoughts naive, he writes in the newspaper express† According to him, NATO membership is the only real security guarantee for Sweden. ‘Ukraine also worked closely with NATO, practiced together with NATO, but now the country stands alone.’
According to Dejmek, if Putin has rebuilt his army after the current material losses, he can just say that a “special military operation” against Sweden is needed. “Since Russia has already launched three military strikes without any provocation, all the talk of potentially provoking Russia is laughable. Putin does what he wants. If he wants to attack Sweden or force the country into obedience, then he will.’
Jeroen Visser is a correspondent in Stockholm.