All news

Russian senator sees risk in Sweden’s return to nuclear power paired with NATO aspirations

Also, Konstantin Kosachev said, Russian senators will highlight to the international community Sweden’s reneging on its green energy commitments at the inter-parliamentary level

MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Sweden’s decision to renege on its green energy targets and resume nuclear power generation makes the Nordic country that much more dangerous given its plans to join NATO, a senior Russian senator said.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, commented on Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson’s announcement that Stockholm would revert back to nuclear power generation and abandon its renewable energy targets.

"In the context of Sweden’s [presumed] accession to NATO, [Stockholm’s] announcement that it will return to nuclear power generation makes it that much more dangerous a country in military and political terms," the senator wrote on his Telegram channel. He called for an assessment of how Sweden has been meeting its international obligations at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference in December.

Also, Kosachev said, Russian senators will highlight to the international community Sweden’s reneging on its green energy commitments at the inter-parliamentary level. He also expressed the hope that Sweden would be the first country to be held accountable, with the International Court of Justice currently drafting an advisory opinion on the international legal liability of nations for climate change.

The senior Russian senator also accused Sweden of double standards. On the one hand, he said, Stockholm has "claimed the role of virtually the world leader in the global environmental agenda," as he pointed to its statements on the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Yet, on the other hand, Sweden has imposed sanctions on Russia targeting environmental projects.