Swedish Prime Minister Andersson said that her government has officially decided to proceed with a application to NATO for the country to become a full member of the alliance.
She stressed that the process for the country to become a full member of NATO
At the same time, the Swedish parliament backed the ruling party's NATO application, abandoning decades of opposition to such a move in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Social Democratic Party, led by Anderson, however, clarifies that it is opposed to the establishment of permanent NATO bases as well as nuclear weapons on Swedish territory, two elements that are not conditions for a country's membership of the Atlantic Alliance.
The internal consultations have also brought to light differing opinions within the party, as critical voices have emerged who believe the decision is rushed in order for Sweden to follow the timetable set by Finland.
Putin on Finland-Sweden: We will respond to NATO expansion
Earlier, the Russian leader made sure to send the message that the West should be under no illusions that Moscow will simply sit back and tolerate NATO expansion with the accession of Sweden and Finland.
He also warned that this NATO expansion is a wrong move that is going to cause military tension.
Speaking from the podium of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent the message that the expansion of NATO military infrastructure on the territories of Finland and Sweden would require a response from Moscow.
He made it clear that he had no other problems with Finland and Sweden, but acknowledged that NATO expansion was a problem, stressing that there would be Russian opposition to this expansion.
"They should have no illusions that we will simply tolerate it - and the same goes for Brussels, Washington and other NATO capitals," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said for his part today.
Ryabkov denounced as a mistake the decisions of Helsinki and Stockholm to join the alliance.
"The general level of military tension will intensify, the predictability in this area will decrease. It is a pity that common sense is sacrificed to some imaginary prediction about what should be done in this developing situation," Ryabkov said.
Source.gr
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
