Moscow is the problem but Ukraine can put a stop to it “once and for all,” the Swedish foreign minister has claimed
Sweden is determined to confront Russia as part of NATO, the newest member of the US-led military bloc has pledged. Arming Ukraine is a way to deal with Moscow’s “appetites,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Thursday.
The top diplomat praised his country’s future contribution to NATO’s strategy for the Baltic region in an interview with German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Sweden formally joined the US-led military bloc earlier this month.
“It is not Sweden and NATO that constitutes a problem,” he told the broadcaster. “It is Russia that is behaving irresponsibly and recklessly.”
Billstrom cited examples of Russian behavior that he finds “unacceptable,” primary among which is the military operation in Ukraine. Moscow, however, perceives the conflict as part of a Western proxy war against Russia. It has cited NATO’s expansion in Europe, which was done in breach of Western promises to Moscow, as among the primary causes of the hostilities. The tensions will persist for years to come, the Swedish official predicted.
We are in for a prolonged period of conflict with Russia. It goes for NATO, it goes for the EU. And we have to adapt ourselves accordingly.
The diplomat claimed that Russia was “on a path towards regaining its former imperial assets” as he justified NATO’s military buildup in the Baltics. A large chunk of the region was part of the Russian empire and later the USSR.
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