Charlotta Rodhe on Sweden’s path to NATO: In the gray area there is no safe place nowadays

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, illusions about safety in the “gray area” and non-aligned status were dispelled in Sweden.

This was emphasized by Charlotta Rodhe, Acting Deputy Center Director at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies, during her speech at the 15^th annual Kyiv Security Forum, established by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s “Open Ukraine” Foundation.

“Sweden clearly understood: nowadays there is no safe place in the gray area. At the backdrop of what we observe in Ukraine today this is absolutely obvious,” the expert noted.

Charlotta Rodhe said that some experts call Sweden’s policy in recent decades naive: “I think we shared an honest hope for detente. And in 2014, this bell tolled, and woke us all up. And February of last year added to this understanding: there was no safety in the gray area.”

Sweden learned the lessons of Ukrainian situation and applied for NATO membership, she said.

“The gray area is something that cannot be endured either in Ukraine, or in Sweden, or in Finland. It became crystal clear that the only security guarantee is Article 5 of the NATO Charter,” Charlotta Rodhe summarized.

Noteworthy, the 15^th annual Kyiv security forum “For Our and Your Freedom/ Fighting for NATO” will be held on May 25-26, 2023, with the participation of well-known international figures. In particular, at the Forum, the KSF Security Council will be established and a policy document will be adopted with recommendations for the NATO summit in Vilnius to be held this July.