Swedish and Danish statements have come amid a massive military buildup driven by the EU and NATO
Sweden and Denmark could host NATO nuclear weapons, officials from both countries have said.
The alleged ‘Russian threat’ has fueled discussions in Western Europe about expanding nuclear deterrence. Moscow has dismissed these concerns as “nonsense.”
The EU has allocated €800 billion ($948 billion) for its ReArm Europe plan and NATO members have pledged to raise their spending on defense to 5% of GDP.
Speaking to SR radio on Friday, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said he was open to an expanded nuclear deterrence role, despite Sweden only joining NATO in March 2024.
“If there were to be war, we would naturally consider any option that could secure Sweden’s survival and Swedish security,” he said. Sweden was one of the early signatories of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but does not have a domestic law that explicitly bans such weapons.
Last month, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that Stockholm was already discussing nuclear deterrence with two nuclear powers – France and the UK. Paris was particularly open to suggestions, he said at the time. Britain’s nuclear missiles are currently all submarine-based.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen also said earlier this week he was “open to discussing it all” when asked about Denmark’s willingness to host nuclear weapons or co-finance related projects.
Earlier, Estonia also expressed a similar desire and Polish President Karol Nawrocki suggested that Poland could develop its own nuclear weapons program. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Munich Security Conference in mid-February that he had discussed EU-level nuclear deterrence with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it poses no threat to any European country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said last week that Moscow would have to aim its nuclear weapons at countries which host nuclear arms aimed at Russia when commenting on Tallinn’s willingness to welcome the deployment of such weaponry on Estonian soil.
