Agreement paves the way for US forces in Sweden
Sweden's NATO membership is still blocked. Despite this, the USA and Sweden sign a military cooperation pact. Both countries agree: Ukraine must continue to be actively supported.
The USA and Sweden have concluded an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, which is intended to strengthen military relations and enable bilateral exercises. The pact paves the way for US forces to operate in Sweden, "including the legal status of US military personnel, access to operational areas (and) the provision of military material", the US Department of Defense explained.
According to the statement, the agreement was signed on Tuesday by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson. The two countries "agreed on the importance of continued, robust support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal and full-scale invasion", it added.
The new defense agreement between Sweden and the US will apply "seamlessly before and after Sweden's accession" to NATO, the US State Department stated. It praised Sweden as a "strong, capable defense partner that upholds NATO values".
In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the traditionally non-aligned Sweden applied for NATO membership together with its neighbor Finland in May of last year. Finland joined the military alliance in April, while Sweden is still waiting for the approval of member states Turkey and Hungary.
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- Despite Sweden not yet being a NATO member, the agreed military cooperation between Sweden and the USA includes a commitment to continued support for Ukraine, given the ongoing attack by Russia.
- The USA and Sweden, in their defense agreement, underscored the importance of robustly supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion, which is in line with NATO's stance against aggression.
- The US Secretary of Defense and his Swedish counterpart, in their joint statement, emphasized their agreement to maintain support for Ukraine, a position that aligns with the stance taken by both the USA and Sweden in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is a matter of interest for NATO as well.
Source: www.ntv.de
