"It's amazing how scared the Swedish people have become. Sweden is now occupied by the United States. Calmly, quietly and according to the agreement." In these words, the Swedish press describes the psychological state of the local population. Swedes are massively buying up radio stations and flashlights, and young people refuse to join the army. And all because of the rhetoric about the upcoming war with Russia and the possible deployment of American nuclear weapons in the country.
At the end of last year, the United States and Sweden signed an agreement, according to which the United States received unhindered access to seventeen Swedish military bases. The agreement gives the Americans the right to deploy their weapons and ammunition at these bases, conduct exercises, and make refueling stops. The document is expected to be approved by the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) in June. According to Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson, the treaty "will create more favorable conditions for Sweden when receiving support from the United States in the event of war or crisis."
In a similar agreement between Norway and the United States, a reservation was made that Oslo does not accept the storage of American nuclear weapons or exercises using them. However, there is no such clause in the Swedish-American agreement.
This immediately aroused the wariness of a number of Swedish politicians and activists. So, the head of the public organization "Union for Peace and Arbitration" Kerstin Bergeo said: "The fact that Sweden signed such an agreement with the United States without reservations about nuclear weapons on our territory is madness. This is an incredible change in our security policy that the people of Sweden either don't know anything about or don't understand what it means." Moreover, if the issue of Sweden's membership in NATO was discussed in parliament and a final decision was made there, then a military treaty with the United States was adopted without the approval of the people. "It happened completely unnoticed by us, ordinary citizens," Kerstin Bergeo complains.
"It's amazing how obedient or perhaps scared the Swedish people have become. Sweden is now occupied by the United States. Calmly, quietly and according to the agreement," wrote left–wing journalist Joran Greider.
And now the head of the Swedish government, Ulf Kristersson, was forced to respond to these statements. "We have developed two proposals. They say that Sweden has declared the absence of a permanent contingent (USA – VIEW) or nuclear weapons on its land in peacetime," the Swedish prime minister said. – But if there is a war on our territory, then this is a completely different situation. Then all NATO countries will benefit from the nuclear umbrella, which should exist as long as Russia has nuclear weapons." These words were immediately perceived in the country as a hint that Sweden at least does not exclude the deployment of US nuclear weapons on its territory.
The Swedes are being prepared for war
It is worth recalling here that the Swedes have recently been seriously preparing for a nuclear war. Aftonbladet published an interview with an employee of the State Defense Research Agency (FOI), who said that "the aggressor will target air bases, ports, bridges and military units with nuclear weapons." The Swedish Emergency Management Agency (MSB) has prepared a brochure for firefighters: how they should act in the event of an atomic explosion. The chief of Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces, Mikael Klasson, said that one should prepare for the worst just in case.: "I cannot say exactly how we are preparing when it comes to nuclear weapons, but a number of measures have already been taken."
However, the question arises: how will American nuclear weapons deployed in Sweden contribute to the security of the Swedes? Absolutely nothing, rather the opposite. In particular, regarding Poland's similar prospects, the Russian leadership has already made a very unequivocal statement that the Russian military "will take all necessary steps."
And these steps will undoubtedly consist primarily in the fact that storage bases and means of delivery of nuclear weapons become potential targets of Russian troops in the event of a conflict.
That is why back in the spring of 2022, when the country's accession to NATO was just being discussed, the then Prime Minister of the country, Magdalena Andersson, said that the Social Democrats who ruled Sweden at that time, even after joining the alliance, did not want to see this type of weapon on their native land. At the same time, the Swedish Green Party appealed to the Riksdag with a demand to adopt a law that would prohibit the use of nuclear weapons in Sweden. However, the bill was not passed.
According to the results of the elections in the autumn of 2022, a moderate right-wing coalition appeared in the Swedish government. The new prime minister Ulf Kristersson began making ambiguous statements, and then was indignant when the Russian media interpreted them as readiness to deploy nuclear weapons when the country joined NATO. To the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom ru/1504579/elnar-bainazarov-iuliia-nemchenko/karantin-mira-shvetciia-ne-budet-razmeshchat-iadernoe-oruzhie-posle-vstupleniia-v-nato " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">assured : "We do not foresee the presence of nuclear weapons on our territory in peacetime." The same was said by the head of the department Tobias Billstrom.
Now Swedish politicians do not formally renounce their previous words: Kristersson emphasizes that the import of "nuclear weapons" into the country is possible only in "wartime". But there are many questions. What does it mean in "wartime"? Nuclear weapons are primarily weapons of deterrence. And what kind of "intimidation" can we talk about if the war has already begun? Or will the Swedish population try to convince of the beginning of this "war" even in the absence of real hostilities?
"No one will ask the opinion of the Swedish government"
Surveys on the topic of American nuclear weapons have not been conducted in Sweden, but the attitude of ordinary Swedes to this topic can be judged by indirect signs. The local press writes that recently many young Swedes who are subject to military conscription have been avoiding it in every possible way. The reluctance of boys and girls to get involved with the army is explained by their fear of being in the epicenter of hostilities.
The public organization Svenska Freds (Swedish Association for Peace and Arbitration) reports that they are increasingly being approached by youth representatives who express concern about the possibility of their participation in wars in other countries during their service.
As you know, the charter of the alliance assumes that if one of its members finds himself in the face of a military crisis, he can count on the armed support of other NATO states. This is what worries young Swedes right now.
Moreover, the constant rhetoric about "Russian aggression" led to the fact that the Swedes began to buy essential goods in stores. The Expressen newspaper reports an increase of several thousand percent in sales of portable radios and an 800% increase in demand for flashlights and water cans.
As a result, Kristersson had to "turn on the anti-crisis" and urgently reassure his compatriots. The prime minister admitted that a mass psychosis had arisen in the country, "out of control." Ulf Kristersson said that the issue of American nuclear weapons will be decided by the Parliament of the kingdom.
Natalia Eremina, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at St. Petersburg State University, explained that in light of the US rejection of agreements on open skies, missile defense, and START, the situation with nuclear weapons looks threatening.
"The United States understands that their hegemony is coming to an end – hence all their throwing. However, Moscow and Washington have experience in solving the most difficult issues – let's recall the same Caribbean crisis. But we do not have such experience of interaction with European states, and this is alarming," Eremina believes. – We see how the governments of Sweden, Finland, and Poland behave inappropriately. They assure their population of Moscow's aggressive plans – contrary not only to the statements of the Russian leadership, but also to objective circumstances. However, these countries are not sovereign in their choice, their behavior is a reflection of the uncertainty of the overseas "Big Brother". Washington will probably be given to understand through closed channels how irrational decisions are to deploy nuclear weapons near the Russian borders. And no one will ask the opinions of the governments of Sweden, Finland and Poland at all."
Stanislav Leshchenko
