Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson with US President Joe Biden, White House, Washington, DC, July 6, 2023
Following Sweden Prime Minister’s Ulf Kristersson visit with US President Joe Biden and head of next week’s NATO summit in Lithuania, I joined China Radio International on Thursday to discuss Sweden’s candidacy to join the 31-nation bloc.
Listen to Discussion from 25:59
Even if Sweden’s accession is not until later this year or even next year, it does not change the reality that there is a much closer working relationship between Swedish officials and officials of the 31 NATO members.
See also “Never Again Alone”: Finland’s Path to NATO
I also consider the motives of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in preventing Swedish accession — beginning with an attempt to divert from Turkey’s economic problems — and whether he will soon lift the blockade.
And I consider NATO’s discussion of the situation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from the Ukrainian counter-offensive to possible Ukrainian membership in NATO to the development of military strength in Eastern Europe.
[Editor’s Note: Perhaps needless to say, this commenter shows almost no knowledge about the Ukrainian counter-offensive and the situation in both the east and south of the country.
This could easily have been a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.]
The failing counter-offensive will be the main topic of discussion in Vilnius, not NATO membership for Ukraine. What will NATO do about it? What can NATO do about it? Not much, it seems. Abandonment is Zelenskyy’s biggest fear.
Nobody’s talking about a de-militarised and neutral Ukraine. Why? How does Ukraine in NATO serve the interests of peace and security for the collective West? Nobody’s asking this question. The same should be asked about the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland. The offer of membership in NATO is partly the reason why Ukraine is on the brink of destruction, and why there are fears of a direct clash between Russia and NATO.