Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, stated today that the presence of nuclear deterrence weapons in Sweden during peacetime contradicts the country’s established doctrine, though he acknowledged that war could change this position.
“We have a clear doctrine in Sweden that no foreign troops are permanently stationed on Swedish soil during peacetime,” Kristersson said when asked about the possibility of hosting France’s nuclear weapons in Sweden.
According to Kristersson, “this doctrine is in force,” meaning the presence of French nuclear weapons in Sweden “is not an option.”
“[However], if there were a war that in some way affected us, then it would be a completely different situation,” the Stockholm-based leader noted during a visit to Malmö in southern Sweden, where the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently docked.
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Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sweden ended two centuries of military non-alignment by becoming, in March 2024, the 32nd member of the NATO alliance.
While the United States and Russia possess thousands of nuclear warheads, in Europe only France and the United Kingdom maintain nuclear arsenals, totaling a few hundred warheads between the two countries.
As uncertainty grew over U.S. military support in Europe, European leaders began exploring ways to compensate for the lack of credible deterrence on the continent.
Kristersson emphasized Sweden’s doctrine of no foreign troops on its soil, but noted that as long as Russia maintains nuclear weapons nearby, “it is positive that two European democracies [France and the U.K.] also possess nuclear weapons.”
