Stoltenberg says that NATO will protect Sweden and Finland during the application phase if they join the alliance
If Sweden decides to become a member of NATO, the alliance is ready to increase its military presence in the Baltic Sea and along the country’s borders during the initial application phase, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to SVT.
Together with neighboring Finland, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its earlier annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted Sweden to rethink previous security policies that prevented the country from becoming a formal member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The application process can last for one year until all other countries in the alliance sign the agreement.
Reuters has reported that Sweden and NATO have asked for security guarantees in the meantime.
“From the potential moment Sweden applies, and NATO says they want Sweden to join, there is a very strong obligation from NATO to be able to guarantee Sweden’s security,” Stoltenberg told SVT, according to Reuters. “I am convinced that we will find solutions for the security needs Sweden will have during a transition period.”
Sweden and Finland are expected to make a decision later this month on whether to apply to join NATO. Moscow has warned both countries of “serious consequences” if it happens, including threats to deploy nuclear weapons in the Russian-controlled European enclave of Kaliningrad.