Ahead of a series of talks next week between Russian officials and NATO, Sweden’s top diplomat emphasized that Moscow has no right to dictate which countries can apply to join the transatlantic military alliance.

Sweden, together with neighboring Finland, is not a member of the Security Alliance. Despite the fact that Sweden has no current plans to join NATO, it has deepened its cooperation with the bloc in recent years. Russia’s latest threat to Ukraine has stimulated talks on regional security in northern Europe and the Baltic states.

– It should not be up to Russia if we could join or if we could not join NATO, said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde in an interview with Foreign policy on Friday. Linde described Moscow’s demands to restrict NATO’s operations as “astonishing”, noting that they would have profound consequences for Sweden’s security if accepted.

Ahead of a series of talks next week between Russian officials and NATO, Sweden’s top diplomat emphasized that Moscow has no right to dictate which countries can apply to join the transatlantic military alliance.

Sweden, together with neighboring Finland, is not a member of the Security Alliance. Despite the fact that Sweden has no current plans to join NATO, it has deepened its cooperation with the bloc in recent years. Russia’s latest threat to Ukraine has stimulated talks on regional security in northern Europe and the Baltic states.

– It should not be up to Russia if we could join or if we could not join NATO, said Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde in an interview with Foreign policy on Friday. Linde described Moscow’s demands to restrict NATO’s operations as “astonishing”, noting that they would have profound consequences for Sweden’s security if accepted.

US and European officials are set to meet their Russian counterparts in a variety of high-stakes meetings as the Western world seeks diplomatic offsets amid fears of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has demanded a comprehensive series of security guarantees, including a halt to the bloc’s expansion to the east and restrictions on its deployments to recent member states.

A reading In a conversation between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Nordic counterparts, “participants reaffirmed the right of each country to choose its alliances.”

Linde’s comments follow similar statements from the President of Finland Sauli Niinisto in his New Year’s speech: “Finland’s room for maneuver and freedom of choice also include the possibility of military adaptation and applying for NATO membership, should we decide for ourselves.”

At the end of December 2021, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that NATO accession to either Finland or Sweden, which maintained the policy of neutrality during the Cold War, would have “serious military and political consequences, which would require an adequate response from Russia.” “

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 led to an increase in defense investment in Sweden that has not been seen since the 1950s. In 2020, the country’s parliament voted to increase defense spending by 40 percent over the next five years and increase the size of the armed forces from 60,000 to 90,000 people.

The Swedish Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of the country’s security cooperation with the Baltic and Nordic states, as well as the United Kingdom and the United States. “It is my deep conviction to be militarily non-aligned [and] with the security agreements with other countries and a strong defense is the best way to keep the Swedish people safe, she says.

US and Russian officials are due to meet in Geneva on Monday to discuss Moscow’s demands for security guarantees. It will be followed by a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Experts believe that Russia’s calls to limit NATO’s expansion and activity are likely to be one non-starters, but there may be room for progress on broader issues of European security arrangements where both sides have an interest in reducing tensions. “There are some of the proposals that I think are interesting to discuss,” Linde said, pointing to weapons controls, rules for military exercises and confidence-building measures.

Linde, who served as head of the OSCE until December 2021, said that although Moscow’s intentions are still unclear, it is best to try to find a diplomatic solution that can avert a military intervention.

“Giving diplomacy and dialogue a chance to work is always better than military activities,” she said. “And we know that Russia has both the means and the will to use the military.”