Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said on May 4 that the United States had provided Sweden with security guarantees during the process of applying for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which must be granted. It received approval from all 30 member states and is expected to take about a year.
Sweden and Finland did not apply to join NATO during the Cold War. But Russia’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014 and its current war of aggression against Ukraine has prompted the two nations to rethink their security policies. And there is a high probability that they will decide to become a member of NATO.
However, the Swedish and Finnish governments are concerned that the country may face risks during the application process. It can take up to a year to gain approval from all NATO member states.
“I don’t ask for details. But I am very confident that we now have security certification from the United States.” Linde gave an interview to Swedish television. After meeting and discussing with Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State in Washington, D.C.
“however This is not a concrete guarantee of stability. which you can only get if you are already a NATO member.” she explained
Linde declined to reveal what assurances Blinken had given Sweden. by saying only that “Russia must clearly understand that if they carry out any negative activity Following Sweden as they have threatened, the United States will not allow it to happen without retaliation.”
The US Department of State announced after the discussion that Blinken confirmed that the United States will maintain a policy of welcoming new members of NATO But it did not mention the security guarantee for Sweden.
Sweden’s defense minister said in April that his application to NATO could bring a range of countermeasures from the Russian side, such as cyber attacks. and propaganda to undermine Sweden’s security, for example.
Moscow threatens to deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles to Kaliningrad. (Kaliningrad), a Russian administrative region located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. If Sweden and Finland become NATO members
Linde, who is on his way to Canada to discuss security matters. confirmed that the United States Give full support to Sweden and Finland’s NATO plan to join. This will help promote stability and stability in the Baltic and Arctic regions.
Sweden and Finland are expected to officially announce later this month whether they decide to join NATO.
source: Reuters
