Sweden, which had been militarily neutral for two centuries, joined NATO, a decision prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Look, Russian propaganda does not work for the Swedes, for whom the North Atlantic Alliance is not a “scarecrow” and a “war spy”, as it is for Moldovans, but a lifeline, a sense of security and a decisive response to Russian aggression. Anti-Western propaganda narratives have always promoted the idea that neutrality ensures state security. See, Sweden does not agree because it feels the Russian threat. In Moldova, this narrative still works. Before joining NATO, Sweden spent 2.1% of its gross domestic product on defense, although it was a neutral state, that is, it spent money on equipping its army, on defense against enemies, actually only one enemy – the Russian Federation.

Sweden’s rapid advancement to NATO began after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Although military neutrality was part of Swedish identity and culture, two-thirds of citizens now support the government’s decision. Sweden officially joined NATO. Now this military alliance has 32 members.

Russia has brought NATO closer to its borders

If ten years ago, by annexing Crimea, Moscow closed the bridge to Europe, now it has closed this window for good, with a large-scale war. Vladimir Putin has achieved exactly what he never wanted by bringing NATO infrastructure closer to his borders. Finland joined the alliance a year after the start of the war in April 2023, and Sweden joined two years after the war in March 2024.

For quite a long time, Budapest ratified Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Alliance. The long-term consequences of the two Scandinavian countries joining NATO, both economic, political and security, are very serious for Russia, because Sweden and Finland practically block the Baltic Sea for Russia and largely isolate the Kaliningrad exclave that it suddenly gains. all denser and denser.

Russia loses the Baltic Sea, loses its influence on the Northern Sea Route, which the Europeans relied on as the shortest trade route, and Russia before the war was supposed to be a transit country that would control this route and many other nearby routes. . The border with NATO has increased by about 1000 km, and now the Russians must transfer their forces and means to this border and find resources that are already lacking and mobilize them closer to the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, because all military forces and means are engaged Ukraine.

European states are increasingly concerned about defense

Now NATO, changing its strategy, will have a total of three commands: Northern, Central and Southern. This is in a context where, as recently as 2022, he was asking himself whether he would have a future as an organization? Many have questioned Macron’s statement in 2019 that “NATO is in a state of brain death” and the reluctance of Europeans to commit more funds to the alliance, which former President Donald Trump has often said is something European states do not want to commit even 2% of their GDP and that they don’t want to keep their defense budgets up to par. Russia has awakened to the importance of NATO, and transatlantic values ​​have made Europe a much more active player.

If we analyze the latest statements of the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance, the latest summits and the positions of European leaders, especially French President Emmanuel Macron, that we should be proactive, that in a certain situation the French are even ready to send troops to Ukraine, the idea of ​​a “European army” is no longer sounds so funny Now it is no longer about Europe’s fatigue with Ukraine, which Moscow is trying to impose in order to divert the West’s attention from the war.

Whoever says that we are tired of war is very wrong. On the contrary, Europe has become much more dynamic, it has taken the so-called European initiative and will take such steps together with the USA. The Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin will now think more about whether the decision to invade Ukraine was even necessary. Especially in the context, when last December the negotiations between Ukraine and Moldova with the European Union were given the green light, we notice that a political alliance like the European Union has intensified its enlargement policy for the same reason, to teach a lesson to Russia, Russia, which has always blackmailed Eastern states to join blocs and alliances.

This means that EU member states, along with the United States, have removed Ukraine and Moldova from Russia’s sphere of influence, so they can choose to side with anyone. In addition, the financial and then military support of Ukraine in the war, and then the acceptance of additional financial resources in the long-term plan to support the resistance of Kyiv are the results of European unity, completely opposite to Moscow’s expectations after the invasion of Ukraine.

Is NATO expanding further?

Thus, Sweden followed the example of Finland, becoming the second Scandinavian country to join NATO, bringing various benefits to the alliance. By abandoning the two-hundred-year-old tradition of neutrality and non-alignment based on the Finnish model, Sweden is sending a powerful signal to countries that are undecided about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, emphasizing the need to choose a side. This is a major change and needs to be taken seriously, especially since now the Kremlin’s argument that Finland’s accession was a one-off event is no longer valid, it is actually a wave of expansion that can continue with the will of the Allies and new leadership in NATO leadership.

Sweden’s experience in countering this threat is becoming vital for NATO as it seeks to strengthen its eastern members’ defenses against Russia. Sweden’s impressive military capabilities, including state-of-the-art aircraft, missiles and anti-aircraft systems, modern tanks, submarines and a huge navy, make it a reliable ally. With one of the largest fleets in the Baltic Sea, where NATO has no significant naval forces, Sweden has a strategic advantage. Geographical location also favors the alliance, as it serves as a land route to support Norway and Finland, and with its extensive coastline, it gives NATO the ability to control the Baltic Sea in the event of a conflict with Russia. Instead, Sweden now enjoys the protection provided by the alliance’s security guarantees in the face of a possible attack by Russia. _Read the rest of the article on Contributors.ro