Sweden is in talks with Britain and France about being protected by their nuclear deterrent

Ulf Kristersson, the head of the liberal Moderates party, said the discussions had been under way for some time, but no concrete proposals or a timeline had been agreed.

“We are now holding ongoing discussions with both France and the United Kingdom. They are not very precise yet, and the French [nuclear weapons] are uniquely French, but France also shows openness to discussing with other countries,” Mr Kristersson said, ‘The Telegraph’ quotes.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed that Sir Keir Starmer had discussed the “nuclear umbrella” proposal with his Swedish counterpart.

While being a member of NATO means that Sweden already has nuclear protection, becoming part of the French and British umbrella suggests it hopes to become less dependent on US security.

Britain and France are the only Nato members in Europe to possess their own nuclear weapons, while the United States has an arsenal of around 100 missiles stationed mainly in Germany.

But growing concerns that Donald Trump can no longer be relied on for security have fuelled discussions about Britain and France taking over as the main nuclear guarantors.

“We joined NATO, we became fully involved in all discussions, including those in Europe revolving around nuclear weapons”

Mr Kristersson’s announcement is significant as Sweden has historically sought to stay neutral on defence affairs. This changed radically in 2022, when the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted Stockholm to join NATO.

“I say that when we joined NATO, we [became] fully involved in all discussions, including those in Europe revolving around nuclear weapons. Not so that they should be used, but as long as dangerous countries possess nuclear weapons, sound democracies must also have access to nuclear weapons,” the Swedish prime minister said.

He also stressed that the discussions were at a very early stage, adding that Sweden has so far seen no need to host nuclear weapons on its territory.

However, Mr Kristersson has said that if war were to break out with NATO and an enemy such as Russia, then the country would be in a “completely different situation”.

No concrete proposals or timelines for any cooperation were outlined

Sweden has had very early discussions with France and the United Kingdom about possible nuclear weapons cooperation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has revealed.

No concrete proposals or timelines for any cooperation were outlined, and Kristersson emphasized that talks remain preliminary in early stages. But his remarks to Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT mark a notable shift in tone on the sensitive issue in Sweden of nuclear deterrence in Europe.

They come amid broader debates about strengthening European security independence within NATO, particularly in light of uncertainties surrounding long-term US commitments and ongoing geopolitical tensions.

“France occasionally raises, even publicly, an interest in discussing nuclear weapons capabilities with other European countries,” Kristersson said in his comments.

His statement came just days after the US Defense Department released its unclassified National Defense Strategy (NDS). Part of that document laid out a two-pronged message about how the Trump administration will counter Russia: by building up American nuclear forces, while also drawing down US forces in Europe and having the European nations handle their own continental defense.

In a follow up question about whether Sweden could participate with France in a nuclear program, Kristersson responded “yes,” before revealing that such discussions have already begun.

“We are now holding ongoing discussions with both France and the United Kingdom. They are not very precise yet, and the French [nuclear weapons] are uniquely French, but France also shows openness to discussing with other countries.”

‘Dagens Nyheter’: “No one wants to discuss Swedish nuclear weapons, but we must”

The statement from the Swedish PM also came after an editorial in Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden’s most influential morning newspapers, titled “Ingen vill diskutera svenska kärnvapen, men vi måste” (“No one wants to discuss Swedish nuclear weapons, but we must”). That piece argued that Sweden and Europe can no longer avoid a serious discussion about non-US nuclear deterrence options.

The piece highlights growing European uncertainties in the transatlantic security guarantee amid European concerns about US reliability under current and potential future administrations.

The editorial points out Sweden’s possible advantages: its combination of nuclear technology expertise (from past Cold War research and civilian/military programs) and a capable defense industry could give Sweden a pivotal role if such a northern European nuclear option were pursued.

Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, but the extent to which Stockholm would fully accept the alliance’s reliance on nuclear deterrence — provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France — remained an open and sensitive question for some time.

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