The Swedish authorities allowed the temporary deployment of NATO troops before joining the alliance

Sweden allows the temporary deployment of NATO troops on the territory of the country even before the official entry into the alliance. This was stated by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Paul Jonsson in an article for the Swedish press.

“The government has decided that the Swedish Armed Forces can train with NATO and with NATO member countries to ensure future joint operations. The preparation may consist in the temporary placement of equipment and personnel of other countries on the territory of Sweden, ”the article says (quote by Dagens Nyheter).

This decision was made by the Swedish authorities in connection with the threat to the country’s security against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Kristersson and Jonsson explained.

Sweden’s accession to NATO is blocked by Türkiye. Tension in relations between the two countries was caused by the January action of the Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, who set fire to the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. After that, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Sweden should no longer wait for support for its application to join NATO.

In June, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg notedthat Sweden has complied with the requirements of the Turkish authorities in the framework of the tripartite memorandum and now has the right to join the alliance. He noted that Ankara still has time to ratify Sweden’s application before the July NATO summit in Vilnius. In May, Erdogan saidthat Turkey still does not support Sweden’s entry into the alliance.

In mid-May 2022, Sweden and Finland simultaneously applied to join NATO against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. On April 4, Finland officially joined the alliance. In the Kremlin considered expansion of the alliance by an encroachment on the security and national interests of Russia, as well as another step towards escalation.