Swedish Defense Minister: Russia’s actions are the most serious challenge to security in Europe
Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist stated that Russia’s actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine are the most serious challenge to security in Europe.
“The illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia’s illegal interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine are the most serious challenges in the field of European security”, Hultqvist said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
The Swedish Defense Minister added that Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine is a threat to other neighboring countries, and Europe should not accept such actions.
Swedish authorities have stated that Russian military aircraft now frequently violate Sweden’s airspace. In 2014, the country’s navy was on high alert following several reports of a Russian submarine lurking in the Stockholm archipelago.
"What we can see is that there are more exercises, more military activities in the Baltic Sea… We can also see more proactive activities, flying close to our aircraft,” Hultqvist told BBC correspondent Paul Adams in early February.
These incidents and Russia’s aggressive foreign policy have prompted the Swedish government to boost defense spending, and many analysts believe that Sweden will ultimately end up joining NATO as a result.