Sweden Getting Involved In NATO Long Before Russia's Operation In Ukraine - Embassy

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Sweden Getting Involved in NATO Long Before Russia's Operation in Ukraine - Embassy

ZURICH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2023) Sweden was getting deeply involved with NATO long before the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine with the aim to create a new NATO front line against Moscow, the Russian Embassy in Stockholm said on Tuesday.

The diplomatic mission noted that on March 23, the Swedish parliament, without waiting for the final ratification of its application by all 30 NATO members, voted to join the alliance. Sweden was step by step deprived of its foreign policy sovereignty, "preparing to obediently transform into another US colony," the embassy said.

"It is well known that the country started to be drawn into the alliance long before the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. When they discovered a formal reason, they awakened and fueled the fear before our country, with the logical outcome being an order from Washington, 'stop showing independence, we need northern Europe to become a new NATO front line against Russia,'" the embassy wrote in an article called "Swedish Step Into the Abyss.

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The mission added that Russia wanted to discuss security guarantees with the West, but neither NATO nor the EU had shown any interest.

"For those who are not aware, Stockholm did not bother to respond to Russia's proposal ... It is the alliance that is seeking further escalation," the embassy added.

On May 17, 2022, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership. Only two of the 30 NATO member states, Turkey and Hungary, have not yet ratified Sweden's application, with Finland's accession to the bloc ratified by Budapest on Monday and expected to be approved by the Turkish parliament soon.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in January that Stockholm should not count on Ankara's support for its NATO bid due to the recent Quran-burning protests in Sweden. Turkish officials have repeatedly stated that NATO's doors were not closed to Sweden, but the accession process and its speed were completely dependent on Stockholm's next steps.