Sweden’s defense minister Peter Hultqvist announced on the 18th (local time) that the United States has promised temporary security measures to Sweden and Finland, which have applied for NATO membership, while their applications are pending.
According to the New York Times (NYT), Hultqvist said shortly after the meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, “We discussed things that could be called security measures.” However, he added that the two countries are still discussing specific measures.
Temporary security measures proposed by the United States include patrol of the Baltic Sea by US battleships, bombers flying over Scandinavia, joint military exercises by the Army, and countermeasures against Russian cyberattacks by US experts.
Minister Hultqvist emphasized that Nordic countries are trying to join NATO to defend against attacks from Russia and others. “We have no plans to undermine anyone,” he said. It just wants to be guaranteed that it is a sovereign state. Russia is unpredictable. That’s why I’m joining,” he said.
This reads as a departure from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s statement last month that the goal of the Ukraine war was “to weaken Russia”, the New York Times said.
Earlier, President Biden has consistently expressed his support for the two countries through phone calls, etc. since the two countries’ move to join NATO.
He also contributed to helping Sweden and Finland defend them before joining the alliance.
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