BERLIN, May 3 - RIA Novosti. The situation in Ukraine will have significant consequences for Sweden, the defense budget will be increased as quickly as possible, security issues also include debates about possible NATO membership, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told reporters on the sidelines of a visiting meeting of the German government.
Earlier, a visiting meeting of the German government started in Meseberg, which will last two days. The Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland were invited to the event as guests, with whom the German Cabinet discussed security issues.
"The security situation requires even greater rapprochement <...> both with the Baltic states and with the EU and transatlantic partners. We have to adapt to these new conditions, strengthen our defense, we are accelerating this process. Like Germany, we will increase our defense spending as soon as possible to 2 percent of GDP," the Swedish Prime Minister said, adding that the military conflict in Ukraine will have "significant consequences both for our countries and for Russia."
She added that questions about strengthening Sweden's defense capability also include "discussions about future NATO membership and other options that exist."
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal "the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." To do this, according to him, it is planned to carry out "demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine", to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for "bloody crimes against civilians" of Donbass.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces are striking only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage – significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
