https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Sweden is considering calling up former officers as old as 70 to active duty as it seeks to ensure its military is prepared in times of crisis, the defence minister told a press conference. https://www.thelocal.com/20250715/sweden-considers-calling-up-70-year-old-officers-to-active-military-duty Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:33:49 +0200 sweden-considers-calling-up-70-year-old-officers-to-active-military-duty Two Swedish fighter jets were scrambled under Nato command to escort away a Russian aircraft over the Baltic sea. https://www.thelocal.com/20250424/swedish-nato-jets-intercept-russian-reconnaissance-plane-over-baltic-sea Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:06:10 +0200 swedish-nato-jets-intercept-russian-reconnaissance-plane-over-baltic-sea He's been dubbed the "Trump whisperer," but NATO general secretary Mark Rutte struggled to get a word in Thursday as the US president mused about annexing Greenland and criticised allies over defence spending. https://www.thelocal.com/20250314/why-natos-trump-whisperer-general-secretary-is-treading-carefully-on-greenland Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:27:48 +0100 why-natos-trump-whisperer-general-secretary-is-treading-carefully-on-greenland European leaders are reeling from from the new US administration's statements on Ukraine, European defence, and European politics, so how are politicians in Sweden positioning themselves for President Donald Trump's new world order? https://www.thelocal.com/20250220/ice-in-the-stomach-swedish-politicians-react-to-trumps-new-world-order Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:04:35 +0100 ice-in-the-stomach-swedish-politicians-react-to-trumps-new-world-order Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the Danish government is "open-minded" on the issue of using its military as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine but warned a key question was if the United States was "going to back up on Europe". https://www.thelocal.com/20250218/danish-pm-open-minded-but-wants-us-support-on-use-of-troops-in-ukraine Tue, 18 Feb 2025 11:50:04 +0100 danish-pm-open-minded-but-wants-us-support-on-use-of-troops-in-ukraine Joakim Paasikivi, the retired Lieutenant Colonel who is one of Sweden's leading defence commentators, tells The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange why he thinks Russia is behind the spate of cable sabotage over the last few months. https://www.thelocal.com/20250130/i-think-its-the-russians-swedish-defence-expert-on-cable-sabotage Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:41:12 +0100 i-think-its-the-russians-swedish-defence-expert-on-cable-sabotage Sweden is for the first time set to send troops to Nato from the start of 2025. https://www.thelocal.com/20241007/historic-decision-swedens-role-in-natos-deterrence-and-defence-in-2025 Mon, 07 Oct 2024 17:09:12 +0200 historic-decision-swedens-role-in-natos-deterrence-and-defence-in-2025 Sweden is willing to manage a future Nato land force in neighbouring Finland, which shares a border with Russia, the two newest members of the military alliance announced on Monday. https://www.thelocal.com/20240916/sweden-prepared-to-manage-nato-land-force-in-finland Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:42:12 +0200 sweden-prepared-to-manage-nato-land-force-in-finland Switzerland should consider a more flexible approach to its military neutrality and seek closer defence cooperation with NATO and the European Union, a major security commission concluded Thursday. https://www.thelocal.com/20240829/neutrality-must-be-revised-swiss-urged-to-be-closer-to-nato Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:27:33 +0200 neutrality-must-be-revised-swiss-urged-to-be-closer-to-nato Russia is the greatest security threat facing Sweden and its allies in the next several years, Stockholm said in a strategy outline published on Monday. https://www.thelocal.com/20240708/swedens-government-labels-russia-its-biggest-security-threat Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:51:38 +0200 swedens-government-labels-russia-its-biggest-security-threat UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently revealed plans to introduce compulsory national service, referencing Sweden as an inspiration for this. But how does national service work in Sweden, and is it compulsory for everyone? https://www.thelocal.com/20240527/explained-is-national-service-compulsory-in-sweden Mon, 27 May 2024 17:19:26 +0200 explained-is-national-service-compulsory-in-sweden German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in Sweden to discuss security and business competitiveness with his Nordic colleagues on a two-day visit. https://www.thelocal.com/20240513/whats-on-the-agenda-for-german-chancellors-visit-to-sweden Mon, 13 May 2024 16:25:19 +0200 whats-on-the-agenda-for-german-chancellors-visit-to-sweden Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said there's broad consensus not to allow nuclear weapons on Swedish soil in peacetime, but added that wartime is a different matter. https://www.thelocal.com/20240513/swedish-pm-says-hed-consider-hosting-nuclear-weapons-in-wartime Mon, 13 May 2024 14:27:23 +0200 swedish-pm-says-hed-consider-hosting-nuclear-weapons-in-wartime If parliament greenlights the mission, Sweden will next year contribute Nato troops to Latvian defence, said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. https://www.thelocal.com/20240425/sweden-to-send-first-nato-troops-abroad-since-joining-military-alliance Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:08:23 +0200 sweden-to-send-first-nato-troops-abroad-since-joining-military-alliance 'Sweden wants peace,' said King Carl XVI Gustaf as he spoke at a flag-hoisting ceremony outside the Swedish parliament to mark his country's Nato membership. https://www.thelocal.com/20240318/in-pictures-new-era-as-nato-flag-hoisted-outside-swedish-parliament Mon, 18 Mar 2024 12:17:31 +0100 in-pictures-new-era-as-nato-flag-hoisted-outside-swedish-parliament Sweden joining Nato shows Russian President Vladimir Putin 'failed' in his strategy of weakening the alliance, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said as Sweden's flag was hoisted at the Nato headquarters in Brussels. https://www.thelocal.com/20240311/nato-secretary-general-sweden-joining-alliance-shows-putin-failed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 13:11:03 +0100 nato-secretary-general-sweden-joining-alliance-shows-putin-failed Sweden became a member of Nato on March 7th, but what does membership actually mean for Sweden? https://www.thelocal.com/20240227/what-does-nato-membership-mean-for-sweden Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:10:15 +0100 what-does-nato-membership-mean-for-sweden Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attended US President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, just hours after Sweden formally became a member of Nato. https://www.thelocal.com/20240308/biden-welcomes-sweden-to-nato-in-state-of-the-union-address Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:57:18 +0100 biden-welcomes-sweden-to-nato-in-state-of-the-union-address Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has handed over Sweden's Nato accession documents in Washington, meaning Sweden is now officially a member of the Nato defence alliance. https://www.thelocal.com/20240307/a-new-chapter-sweden-makes-history-by-finally-joining-nato Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:28:00 +0100 a-new-chapter-sweden-makes-history-by-finally-joining-nato Hungary on Monday ratified Sweden's Nato application, and now only a few steps remain before the country can become a full member of the defence alliance. https://www.thelocal.com/20240123/explained-what-happens-next-for-swedens-nato-application Tue, 23 Jan 2024 22:06:58 +0100 explained-what-happens-next-for-swedens-nato-application