Sweden will not allow the bloc’s weapons of mass destruction to be stationed on its territory
Sweden will not allow NATO to place nuclear weapons on its soil, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström told local news magazine TT on Friday, clarifying comments by the country’s defense minister earlier this month.
“That is still the Moderates’ long-term position“to ban nuclear weapons on Swedish soil, Billström said and explained”we have never intended to change the conditions for the applications submitted by the previous government.” Under the leadership of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the Moderates took power in September after years of control by the Social Democrats.
Defense Forces Commander-in-Chief Micael Byden told reporters last week that Sweden should not “set reservations” on NATO’s use of its territory before finalizing its accession to the bloc, refused to rule out hosting the alliance’s nuclear weapons as he promised to increase military spending and double the number of conscripts in the Swedish military. His words sparked an outcry from the Social Democrats, who demanded an explanation for why the new government had abandoned the inter-party agreement not to host nuclear weapons.
While Billström acknowledged that Sweden had submitted its application for NATO membership without preconditions and agreed that his country must first be approved as a member before telling the alliance what it could and could not do on its soil, he dismissed the controversy as a storm in a teacup and insisted that Sweden should follow in the footsteps of NATO members Norway and Denmark in banning nuclear weapons.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto issued a clarification similar to Billstrom’s earlier this week, declaring that Finland had “no intention“to host NATO nuclear weapons after the country’s prime minister, Sanna Marin, suggested she was open to the possibility last month.
Both countries’ applications to join NATO have been ratified by 28 of the alliance’s 30 members. Outstanding are Hungary and Trkiye. Budapest claims its parliament will approve both countries’ membership before the end of the year, while Ankara issued an ultimatum earlier this month that Stockholm must allow the extradition of Kurdish terror suspects.
Source: sn.dk