Analysis: "Andersson's NATO message a clear signal to Moscow"

In addition to the meeting with NATO Secretary General Magdalena Andersson, she also had talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.

Sweden also has contacts with the US administration on the issue.

The background is the heavy Russian military charge along the border with Ukraine, a charge that takes place in parallel with far-reaching Russian political demands on NATO and individual European countries.

One of the Russian demands is a halt to the continued expansion of the NATO military alliance.

This would mean that Sweden would also be stopped from being able to apply for NATO membership in the future.

Russia's demands thus mean that individual countries should not be allowed to make their own security policy choices on their own, but that this is determined by Moscow.

This is an attitude that is of course impossible for the Swedish government to accept.

Even though the Swedish line has long been that Sweden should not apply for membership in NATO, there is of course the possibility of reconsidering this should the situation deteriorate.

Russia wants to prevent that.

Commander-in-Chief Micael Bydén also warns that several of the military collaborations Sweden is conducting would be impossible if NATO and the outside world were to accept the Russian demands.

In-depth military cooperation

In recent years, Sweden has initiated and deepened a number of different military collaborations not only with Finland but also with NATO and individual NATO countries.

The motive behind these collaborations is precisely the assessment that Russia is perceived as a growing, potential threat in the immediate area.

As Russia now pulls together large numbers of troops along Ukraine's border and at the same time makes tough demands on NATO and individual European countries, this picture is confirmed.

Russia's actions can thus pave the way for exactly what you want to avoid;

that more countries want to seek protection from NATO.

Support for NATO membership may increase

For the Swedish part, it is not unlikely that the Russian demands will lead to an increase in voter support for applying for NATO membership.

Opinion has long been divided on the issue, but can quickly be affected by a security policy crisis in the immediate area.

Politically, the NATO issue is always bubbling in the Swedish domestic policy debate.

Sweden has a long tradition of freedom of alliance, but has in recent years sought closer cooperation with NATO, among other things to be able to balance a changed threat picture from Russia.

When Magdalena Andersson today emphasizes the importance of closeness to NATO, it should be seen as a clear signal to Moscow.

The Social Democratic government certainly says no to Swedish NATO membership, as do the Sweden Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party.

However, the four former alliance parties all agree that Sweden should become a NATO member.

The government may change

However, an interesting change has taken place recently.

The Sweden Democrats have agreed with the bourgeois demands that Sweden should have a clearly stated NATO option in security policy.

But despite the fact that there is a majority for this in the Riksdag, the government has so far rejected the demand.

It is possible that what is happening right now could lead to the government changing its mind on the issue.

No matter where, the situation is serious.

The combination of ultimate demands that the other party has a hard time accepting and a heavy military build-up has several times in history led to war.