Sweden warns of conflict after decision to abandon neutrality to join NATO

RT news agency reported on January 8 that top Swedish officials called on the country's people to prepare for a possible conflict, amid rising tensions with Russia.

Sweden will send 800 soldiers to join NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence Group in Latvia. (Source: Zuma)

In a speech at a conference held last weekend, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Stockholm's orientation during this turbulent period is to "actively participate in shaping the future security of the region and of Europe".

Praising Sweden's impending membership in the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) , the diplomat said: " Membership will entail the biggest change in our security policy in more than 200 years."

However, warning that Russia could "pose a threat" to Swedish and European security in the near future, Mr Billstrom admitted that Stockholm "must be realistic and ready for a prolonged confrontation".

Sharing the same view, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said that conflict could also come to this country.

Last year, Sweden abandoned its centuries-old policy of non-alignment and applied to join NATO, citing Russia's ongoing military campaign in neighboring Ukraine.

Sweden's Nordic neighbor Finland is making a similar move when it officially joins NATO in April 2023.

Recently, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that 800 Swedish soldiers will be deployed in Latvia - a Baltic country bordering Russia - in early 2025.

The unit will become part of NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) in Latvia.

Several NATO members have short-term bases in the bloc's eastern countries. The EFP force in Latvia is currently led by Canada and has more than 2,000 troops.

Speaking about Sweden's future role in NATO at last year's annual summit, Prime Minister Kristersson asserted that "it is entirely possible to have nuclear weapons on our territory in peacetime".

Moscow has repeatedly stated that NATO's continued expansion towards Russia's western borders, as well as its refusal to exclude Ukraine from future membership, are among the main causes of the ongoing conflict.

Russia sees NATO as a threat to its national security. Russia's Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, has accused the West of turning Europe into an "arena of confrontation". He warned that Finland and Sweden joining NATO would "have a negative impact on the situation in Europe".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quyet-dinh-bo-trung-lap-de-vao-nato-thuy-dien-canh-bao-co-the-hung-chiu-xung-dot-256699.html