Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström opposed the deployment of permanent NATO bases on the territory of the kingdom. In October 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that NATO military bases and strike weapons could appear on Finland and Sweden after they join the alliance.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that nuclear facilities in Northern Europe would become legitimate targets in the event of a direct conflict with the North Atlantic Alliance. The head of the Swedish diplomatic department made this statement in a conversation with Anadolu. “Of course, NATO associations will operate in Sweden. But we don’t want permanent NATO Base,” he said.