STOCKHOLM, June 9. /TASS/. Stockholm may give NATO the green light to deploy troops from member countries on Swedish soil even before the Nordic nation officially joins the alliance, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on Friday.

"The government has decided that the Swedish armed forces may undertake preparations with NATO and NATO countries to enable future joint operations," Reuters quoted them as saying in an opinion piece published in the Dagens Nyheter daily. "The preparations may consist of temporary basing of foreign equipment and personnel on Swedish territory. The decision sends a clear signal to Russia and strengthens Sweden's defense," the officials said.

According to their assessment, in the near term Russia will "remain a threat against neighboring countries."

In May 2022, Finland and Sweden simultaneously submitted applications to join the US-led military bloc but their accession process was blocked by Turkey when Ankara demanded that the two Nordic countries designate Kurdish organizations active in their jurisdictions as terrorist groups and extradite persons suspected of terrorism or being involved in the attempted 2016 Turkish coup d’etat to Turkey. Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, then-Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg took place in Madrid on June 28, 2022 before the annual NATO summit. As a result, a memorandum was signed that cleared a path for Sweden and Finland to join NATO. On March 31, 2023, the Turkish parliament approved Finland’s accession to NATO and the country formally joined the North Atlantic Alliance on April 4.

Sweden’s accession to NATO has also been hindered by Hungary’s stance. According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, his country is not yet ready to consider this issue because serious differences of opinion remain between Budapest and Stockholm. Hungary’s government and parliament have repeatedly rebuked Swedish politicians for criticizing Hungary for alleged deviations from democracy and demanding that EU funds earmarked for Hungary be blocked.