Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced that her country has decided to apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), following Finland's lead in a move that will further increase tensions with Russia. Andersson stated that the talks for joining NATO would not take more than a year.
Sweden's decision comes after a similar decision made by Finland, giving both countries bordering Russia a new foothold for NATO at the Russian border. Thus, Sweden and Finland have abandoned decades of military non-alignment to join NATO out of fear of a potential attack following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
On Monday, the Kremlin stated that Finland's and Sweden's decision to join NATO would not improve security in Europe. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters, "We are not convinced that Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO will in any way enhance or improve the security structures on our continent." He added, "This is a serious issue and a matter of concern for us, and we will closely monitor the practical implications of Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO concerning our security, which must be unconditionally guaranteed."
However, he also noted that compared to Ukraine, there is no territorial dispute between Russia and Finland or Sweden. Earlier on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that such a decision is a "grave mistake that will have enormous consequences."
