A welcome surprise from the IKEA guys
The revolution in Germany’s security and defense policy following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has rightly received much attention. But other European states, such as Sweden, are also reacting in an unprecedented way.
Putin has misinterpreted this so badly that Sweden is now sending thousands of missile launchers to Ukraine. Sweden. IKEA guys. – @AliceAvizandum
News Sweden’s decision to send 5,000 anti-tank weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine quickly spread on social media. Many were surprised that this country, which is alleged to be non-confrontational, had decided to donate weapons. This is first time Sweden has donated weapons in significant numbers since the Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939. But the decision was well received at home. There were even many calls for the government to do more – the Swedes apparently did not receive a memorandum about their supposed “neutrality” in the conflict.
A dubious start
Exactly one month before Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde was asked about possible military support. She answered that Sweden would provide assistance to Ukraine in many ways, but that strict legislation would prevent the country from exporting or donating weapons to a country involved in a military conflict. Her statement hit one play, not least because the law actually says that Sweden should not – can not – supply weapons to countries involved in armed conflict. In fact, by 2020, Sweden arms exportss were worth 1.6 billion euros with companies supplying only 320 million weapons to the United Arab Emirates, an active participant in the Yemeni civil war.
The ‘bourgeois’ bloc, that is, the conservative and liberal parties, pushed back against Linde’s position. When the Swedish Defense Commission (The Defense Committee) met on 3 February to discuss measures to: strengthen The defense called on the bourgeois parties for a broader discussion and the subject of military support for Ukraine was hotly debated. On February 15, the Moderates (the main opposition party) demanded an inventory of available equipment that could be provided to Ukraine as “defense weapons”. This phrasing emphasized that these weapons were intended to help Ukraine exercise its right to self-defense, which evoked the weight that Sweden and many other small states place on their right to sovereignty.
Military freedom of alliance is not neutrality
An important context for Sweden’s foreign and security policy is that Sweden, even though it is militarily non-aligned, does not have a position similar to “neutrality”. In fact, much of Sweden’s foreign and security policy is the basis Declaration of solidarity from the 2009 Defense Act, which states that “Sweden will not be passive if a disaster or attack should hit another EU country or a Nordic neighbor”, and demands that Sweden should “be able to give and receive support, both civilian and military . ” Through the declaration, Sweden expresses its expectations of both giving support to and receiving support from others in times of crisis.
Although Ukraine is neither a Nordic neighbor nor an EU member, there was no debate as to whether it should be covered by the declaration. Instead, the debate was about “what” and “how”. The left parties have focused more on civilian aid, while the bourgeois parties have advocated military support for Ukraine’s efforts.
A turning point
Once Russia launched its full-scale attack, it went fast. February 27 Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist announced that the government had consulted other countries and found “a balanced way to collectively support Ukraine”. Already the next day in Parliament (the national legislator) seven out of eight parties voted to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons, where only the Left Party objected on the basis that Sweden should not send weapons to armed conflicts.
Both external and domestic factors played key roles in the decision. Internally, this could be an important turning point for Sweden. The Left Party is already re-evaluating its vote and change its position on military aid. The concept of solidarity described in the declaration becomes, through practical application, less vague and less receptive to political maneuvers. Putin’s actions have united and even changed the security policy of Swedish political parties, and the declaration can now be interpreted as an obligation to intervene with military instruments if necessary.
At the same time, Sweden is getting closer to multilateral security structures. Last week a Swedish corvette and helicopter accompanied Danish personnel and equipment to Estonia in a Joint Expeditionary Force operation intended to increase deterrence. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson joinedThe meeting between Presidents Biden and Niinistö in Washington and the Swedish and Finnish Prime Ministers in Helsinki met by telephone to discuss further strengthen security cooperation.
Where this development leads is not certain. However, there are more Swedes in favor of NATO membership than against it for the first time. The Sweden Democrats has entered that they can reverse their previous objection to NATO membership – which would make a majority of them Parliament for the benefit. As a result of Putin’s miscalculations about Ukraine, the “IKEA guys” are more closely aligning their perceptions of solidarity with NATO’s notions of collective security.
Opinions expressed in ICDS publications are those of the author (s).