Why is Sweden not a member of NATO? Russia’s Ukraine invasion can change everything | The world | News
NATO has been around for more than 70 years since its formation shortly after the end of World War II.
The military alliance now consists of 30 members from the northern hemisphere of the world, including Britain, the United States, Germany and Poland.
Originally, NATO was formed to help combat post-war expansion of the Soviet Union, which grew its territory considerably.
However, Sweden has never fully signed the pact. So, what are the reasons for this?
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Sweden has long maintained a neutral stance in world politics, even though, like Finland, it joined the NATO Partnership for Peace program in 1994.
The format enables flexible cooperation between the two parties and is generally seen as a trust-building outfit that can eventually lead to full membership.
For the past 200 years, Sweden has assumed a status of neutrality and since it relies on trade with both the United States and Russia, it has tried to remain so.
But after the Russian annexation of the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014, Sweden changed its way of thinking somewhat.
While 51 percent of Swedes are in favor, 27 percent do not want Sweden to join the alliance.
Despite this, Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began that her country still believes in continuing its state of neutrality.
She said: “Sweden has been non-aligned for an extremely long time. It has served Sweden’s interests well. ”
Although she later clarified that Sweden will “independently” choose its “security policy line”.
On Wednesday, the country’s air force announced that four Russian jets had entered Swedish airspace on Gotland.
Authorities quickly fought to escort away the jet in what officials called an “unacceptable” act.
The head of the Air Force, Carl-Johan Edström, said: “In light of the current situation, we are very concerned about the incident.
“This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior on the part of Russia.”
Russia has warned Sweden and its Arctic neighbor Finland that they could have “military and political consequences” if they decide to join NATO.
Moscow Foreign Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “Finland and Sweden should not base their security on harming the security of other countries.”
Putin is a vocal critic of the alliance and has previously demanded that NATO limit its expansion in Eastern Europe.