JAKARTA - Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist has ventured to say that if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sends its troops to Ukraine, where Russian special operations are underway, it will put Europe on the brink of world war.
"If NATO or the West enters with troops, then you are open to a third world war, and nobody wants that," Minister Hultqvist told national broadcaster SVT.
Furthermore, Minister Hultqvist also claimed the Kremlin had bigger plans than 'to take over Ukraine', suggesting Moscow may also be eyeing other former Soviet Republics, calling the dissolution of the Soviet Union a 'huge trauma to Russia'.
Moscow, for its part, has stressed that the special military operation is solely aimed at the demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine, as well as protecting the previously recognized and rejected Donbass People's Republic.
At the same time, Hultqvist defended his statement in November 2021 that as long as he was defense minister, Sweden would never apply for NATO membership, a hot issue in a historically unallied country.
Minister Hultqvist assured the non-alliance status would not change his mind, but added, in such matters "you must never say never,"
Earlier this week Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Sweden's application for NATO membership was irrelevant under current circumstances, adding it would further destabilize the situation in Europe.
In recent years, Russia has been the subject of perennial NATO debate in Sweden, with the bloc magnifying and exaggerating the fictional 'Russian threat', in favor of increasing military spending and troop build-ups.
It is understood Sweden has sent weapons and ammunition to Ukraine and is investigating other types of assistance, including strengthening its cyber capabilities, but has so far stopped sending military personnel.
However, according to the newspaper Kristianstadbladet, hundreds of Swedish volunteers are on their way to Ukraine. Russia has warned that pro-Ukrainian foreign fighters will not get POW status and will be treated as criminals if caught.
To note, Sweden's decision to arm Ukraine alone is historic, as it marks the first time the Scandinavian country has agreed to send weapons to a conflict zone, since the 1939 Winter War.
In a survey by Expressen newspaper and poll Sifo, only 39 percent of Swedes said their country should help Ukraine with weapons.
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