Sweden's PM warns NATO commitments at risk if left wins Sunday's election
Two days before Sweden's general election, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warns that a victory for the left-wing bloc could undermine the country's ability to fulfill its NATO obligations. Polls show the race has tightened to within the margin of error.
STOCKHOLM — With Sweden's general election just two days away, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is cautioning that a win for the left-wing bloc could weaken the country's security policy. In an interview with POLITICO, the center-right Moderate party leader pointed out that several parties on the left previously voted against Sweden joining NATO, raising doubts, in his view, about their ability to unite behind decisions the alliance requires.
Sweden became a NATO member in 2024, abandoning decades of neutrality following Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Since then, the government has made a NATO-related decision every month, covering matters such as defense spending and participation in alliance missions. Sweden has sent troops to a NATO force stationed in Latvia, pledged warships for Baltic Sea patrols, and deployed Gripen fighter jets to help police regional airspace.
Kristersson said he hoped support for Ukraine would remain solid regardless of the election outcome, noting that since the Left Party voted against the very first Ukraine aid package, all eight parliamentary parties have stood united on the issue.
A tightening race
Until recently, Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson and her left-wing allies appeared headed for a comfortable win, but their poll lead has shrunk sharply over the past two weeks to around 2.6% — within the margin of error. Andersson has meanwhile pressed Kristersson to disclose details about his right-wing allies' ties to Russia.
Cooperation with the Sweden Democrats
Kristersson has governed for four years with support from the far-right Sweden Democrats and defended that arrangement, noting that none of parliament's eight parties can govern alone. If reelected on Sunday, he said he is prepared to give Sweden Democrat politicians ministerial posts for the first time — a move the left-wing bloc has campaigned against. Kristersson argued that because government decisions are made collectively, individual ministers would have little room to act on their own.
