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More Swedes in favour of NATO

Swedish fighter jet
Swedish SAAB fighter jet.

First ever opinion poll with more “yes” than “no” to membership to NATO.

Location

The survey comes less than a week after the Swedish navy’s largest post-Soviet submarine hunt in Stockholm’s archipelago.

37 percent of Swedes asked in the survey say they support joining NATO, while 36 percent are against. It has never happened before that more Swedes are in favour of NATO membership than those opposing it. 

The survey is done for TV4 News by Novus.

Over the last few months, the Swedish air force has scrambled fighter jets several times as Russia has stepped up military flights close to Swedish airspace.

Sweden says this Russian SU-27 was flying unusually provocative near the Swedish aircraft.

In early October, the Swedish intelligence released a photo of a Russian SU-27 fighter jet flying just a few metres from the wing of a Swedish intelligence aircraft 

In September, two Russian SU-24 fighter bombers violated Swedish airspace when flying one kilometre inside Swedish territory for about 30 seconds south of Öland.

Speaking at the German Marshall Fund in Brussels on Tuesday, NATO’s new Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is trying to roll back the progress NATO have made with partners to increase the space of democracy and freedom in Europe. 

“NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia. And nobody wants a new Cold War, 25 years since  the  fall of the Berlin Wall. But we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which our Alliance and the security of Europe and North America rest. This is my firm conviction,” Stoltenberg said.

Jens Stoltenberg is NATO’s Secretary General.

After his speech, the floor was opened for questions and Stoltenberg said the following when asked about his advice to Sweden and Finland:

“I have the very strong feeling that both as a former Norwegian politician and as a Secretary General of NATO it would be very unwise if I started to give advice to Sweden,” said a laughing Jens Stoltenberg and continued:

“So I leave that to the Swedes. The union between Sweden and Norway was abolished in 1905.”