In just a few weeks, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's rhetoric about Swedish NATO membership has changed dramatically.

What used to sound completely reprehensible, today sounds like a fully realistic alternative for a Social Democratic prime minister.

At a press conference on March 8, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson clearly distanced herself from Swedish NATO membership and said that it would destabilize the situation in northern Europe, the Prime Minister said.

The statement attracted international attention and was heavily criticized, not least because the Prime Minister used similar arguments as Moscow against a Swedish NATO membership.

In addition, Andersson's statement could be interpreted as indirectly questioning Finland in the face of a possible turnaround in the issue.

Since then, the Prime Minister has in several interviews tried to tone down this statement.

Opens for membership

In SVT's 30 minutes, the tone is completely different.

Of course, a Swedish yes to NATO can trigger reactions from Russia, but otherwise the Prime Minister does not point to a single disadvantage of a Swedish NATO membership.

When asked to argue for continuing to stand outside NATO, she also gives no concrete examples of this.

In the interview, the Prime Minister states that NATO membership can not be ruled out.

She believes that Sweden's security policy situation has fundamentally changed from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and this may have consequences for Sweden's security policy choices.

Freedom of alliance has served Sweden well, but when the map is redrawn, one must think about what is best for Sweden, she says.

When the Prime Minister is asked about the Social Democrats' congressional decision on a no to NATO, she replies that it was taken in a different security policy situation, and that the government could make a different decision after an internal anchoring process.

The statements can thus be interpreted as meaning that Magdalena Andersson is opening up for Swedish membership and that the Social Democrats in that case are about to turn the issue around.

In that case, it would be a very big political change, which in the next step means that there is a broad majority in Sweden's Riksdag for a membership.

Has a key role

Discussions are currently underway between the government and the parliamentary parties on what security policy conclusions should be drawn for Sweden's part of the development of events in Ukraine.

During these deliberations, the question of whether Swedish NATO membership will be discussed.

The four bourgeois parties (M, KD, L and C) have previously said that they want Sweden to join NATO, while the government's message so far has been a no with the support of the V and MP.

SD has admittedly deleted its previously clear no to NATO, but has not stated a clear yes yet.

Given the unclear parliamentary situation in the NATO issue, the Social Democrats thus have a key role to play in a future decision.

Should the party change its position, it will decide the issue.

But the prime minister's statements in the 30-minute interview do not necessarily mean that the Social Democrats are actually about to change.

It can also be a way for the party leadership to modify the previously, of course, negative attitude towards NATO membership and instead try to take more of a central position on the issue.

The purpose of this may be to try to neutralize the issue as a potential conflict surface in the coming election campaign.

Another purpose may be to prepare for a situation where Finland says yes to NATO, a decision that according to most observers would force the Swedish government to follow.

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- We will make the decision that is best for Sweden's security now and in the future, says Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson (S) in SVT's 30 minutes.

Photo: SVT