Sweden, Denmark Signal Openness to Hosting NATO Nuclear Weapons

(MENAFN) Senior defense officials from Sweden and Denmark have signaled openness to hosting NATO nuclear weapons on their soil, as Western Europe accelerates a sweeping military buildup driven by fears of Russian aggression — fears that Moscow has flatly dismissed as "nonsense."

The statements emerge against a backdrop of unprecedented European rearmament. The EU has earmarked €800 billion ($948 billion) under its ReArm Europe plan, while NATO members have committed to raising defense expenditure to 5% of GDP.

Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson, speaking to a radio station on Friday, indicated he was receptive to an expanded nuclear deterrence role for the country — despite Sweden having joined NATO only in March 2024. "If there were to be war, we would naturally consider any option that could secure Sweden's survival and Swedish security," he said.

While Sweden was among the earliest signatories of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has no domestic legislation explicitly prohibiting the stationing of nuclear arms on its territory.

The groundwork for such discussions had already been laid. Last month, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson revealed that Stockholm was actively engaged in nuclear deterrence talks with two nuclear-armed powers — France and the UK — adding that Paris had shown particular willingness to explore the matter. Britain's nuclear arsenal currently operates exclusively from submarine platforms.

Across the border, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen echoed the sentiment earlier this week, stating he was "open to discussing it all" when questioned about Denmark's readiness to host nuclear weapons or co-fund associated defense initiatives.

The posture is gaining traction across the continent. Estonia has previously expressed a comparable interest, while Polish President Karol Nawrocki floated the prospect of Poland developing its own independent nuclear weapons program. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, disclosed that he had held discussions on EU-level nuclear deterrence directly with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Russia, for its part, has consistently maintained that it represents no military threat to any European nation. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued a pointed warning last week, stating that Moscow would redirect its nuclear weapons toward any country that agrees to host nuclear arms targeting Russia — remarks made in direct response to Estonia's expressed willingness to accept such deployments on Estonian soil.

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