Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson addresses the nation

In a rare address to the nation yesterday evening, Andersson stated that modern Europe had “no place for ‘spheres of influence’”, and that “Russia’s armed attack is not just an attack on Ukraine, it is an attack on every country’s right to decide its own future”.

She also spoke of Sweden’s historic decision to send defensive weapons to Ukraine’s armed forces, stating that “Sweden has not done anything like this since the Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939.”

In her speech, she stated that Sweden will further increase their defence spending due to the worsening security situation in neighbouring countries.

She also called on the people of Sweden to not spread disinformation or information on Sweden’s defence.

The entire text of the speech is available in The Local’s unofficial English translation, here, and in Swedish, here.

Swedish vocabulary: Sveriges närområde – Sweden’s neighbouring countries

Sweden and Finland see ‘historic’ surge in support for Nato

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended the status quo in traditionally non-aligned Finland and Sweden, ushering in an “historic” surge in support for Nato, “exceptional” arms exports and defiance in the face of Russian demands, AFP report.

Both Sweden and Finland are officially non-aligned, although they have been Nato partners since the mid-1990s and ended their neutral stance at the end of the Cold War.

Finland’s parliament debated a public petition calling for a referendum on Nato membership on Tuesday afternoon.

For the first time, a majority (53 percent) of Finns are in favour of joining the Atlantic alliance, according to a poll published on Monday by public broadcaster Yle.

This is almost double the number a month ago, when a survey in the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper put support for NATO membership at just 28 percent.

“(This is) a completely historic and exceptional result,” Charly Salonius-Pasternak, senior research fellow at Finnish Institute of
International Affairs, told AFP.

Support for joining Nato is historically high in Sweden too — at 41 percent, according to a poll by public broadcaster SVT last Friday.

Swedish vocabulary: Att gå med i Nato – to join Nato

IKEA and H&M stores still open in Russia

The two Swedish flagship companies are continuing to conduct business in Russia, despite strong international reactions and sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This decision could cost the two companies dearly, brand expert Eva Ossiansson told newswire TT.

“They should think about the kind of values they want to be associated with,” she told TT.

Sanctions from Europe and the USA are a way of ‘starving’ the Russian economy to mark that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are not tolerated by the international community. They have already had wide-ranging consequences for Russia, and many Swedish companies have stated this week that they are stopping or temporarily pausing business in Russia.

However, H&M and IKEA are open as usual. Neither of the companies wanted to make a statement or answer interview questions when contacted by TT, and their press officers wrote short email responses to the newswire’s request for comment.

H&M wrote: “our stores in Russia are open, we are waiting before making further comment”.

Swedish vocabulary: håller sin verksamhet i gång – continue to conduct business