Sweden in talks with Britain, France for nuclear protection

Sweden is engaged in early discussions with Britain and France about being protected under their nuclear deterrent, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson disclosed.

He said the talks have been ongoing for some time, though no specific proposals or timeline have been finalised, Caliber.Az reports via British media.

“We are now holding ongoing discussions with both France and the United Kingdom. They are not very precise yet, and the French [nuclear weapons] are uniquely French, but France also shows openness to discussing with other countries,” Kristersson explained.

Kristersson noted that Stockholm sees no need to station nuclear weapons on its territory during peacetime. However, the situation could change in the event of war. 

“I say that when we joined Nato, we [became] fully involved in all discussions, including those in Europe revolving around nuclear weapons. Not so that they should be used, but as long as dangerous countries possess nuclear weapons, sound democracies must also have access to nuclear weapons,” the Swedish prime minister said.

However, Kristersson stated that if war were to erupt involving Nato and an adversary like Russia, the country would face a “completely different situation.”

“We should not get ahead of events. These discussions are ongoing now and as a Nato member, we are fully involved in everything. We have not seen any need to place it [nuclear weapons] in Sweden in peacetime, in the same way as one can have foreign forces in Sweden in peacetime,” he concluded.

A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that Sir Keir Starmer had addressed the “nuclear umbrella” proposal with his Swedish counterpart.

The nuclear umbrella is a security guarantee in which nuclear-armed states commit to defending non-nuclear allies.

While Sweden already enjoys nuclear protection as a Nato member, joining the French and British umbrella signals a desire to reduce reliance on US security.

Britain and France are the only Nato members in Europe with their own nuclear arsenals, while the United States maintains around 100 missiles, mostly stationed in Germany.

Rising concerns that Donald Trump can no longer be relied upon for security have prompted discussions about Britain and France taking the lead as primary nuclear guarantors.

By Jeyhun Aghazada