https://nordictimes.com/letters/after-dca-open-letter-to-sweden-democrat-grassroots/

Letters

“After DCA: Open letter to Sweden Democrat grassroots”

The new cold war

The DCA agreement is the biggest political scandal since the Second World War, which means that foreign powers can now have military bases on Swedish soil. The Sweden Democrats has contributed to this, writes Björn Backengård.

Published 19 October 2024

Photo: The Sweden Democrats

Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson.

This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

If the Sweden Democrats had voted no to DCA, the issue would have been tabled, and the Swedish people would have had time to familiarize themselves with the issue. Members of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) were informed. On June 7, Svenska Dagbladet published the article Wait with decisions on American bases, and they received emails with tips about the article.

Here you can see how the Riksdag voted. Scroll down a bit and you will see a list of how each person voted.

What does DCA mean?

The DCA has nothing to do with NATO membership but is only a military agreement between the US and Sweden. The agreement is for ten years, which means that the US is allowed to have seventeen military bases in Sweden where they can also store military equipment. Their aircraft, ships and vehicles may move freely in the country. There are no guarantees that nuclear weapons will not be placed in Sweden.

The work on the agreement was started by the former Minister of Defense, Peter Hultqvist, and completed by the current Minister, Pål Jonson. The idea behind the DCA is that the US is planning war against Russia, and they want to be able to attack Russia from Sweden. The US can attack with aircraft or missiles. They avoid attacking from their own country, while any response from Russia impacts Sweden. This would drag Sweden into the USA’s war against Russia. This plan from the USA is diabolical, and unfortunately, there are people here in Sweden who have helped facilitate it.

Read the agreement here with some comments.

Response to an opinion poll

The Swedish Peace Council commissioned an opinion poll. The question was: Do you think that foreign powers should be allowed to place military and war material on Swedish military bases without Swedish supervision? 84% answered “No”.

The Sweden Democrats’ central office was informed of the opinion poll, and the following response was given:

“Hello

… the starting point is that all activities are conducted with respect for Swedish sovereignty… [Regarding selected parts of the agreement: Economy, law, bases, nuclear weapons.]… the significantly deteriorating security situation in our region has necessitated a reevaluation of our foreign and defense policy.

Kind regards,

[First name]
Information assistant”

On Swedish sovereignty. It is abolished in point 7.3 of the agreement. Also paragraph 11.1 abolishes Swedish sovereignty: “[U.S.] aircraft, vessels, and vehicles may not be boarded or controlled without the consent of the United States.”

On deteriorating security policy developments. There is nothing in the agreement about US assistance. Instead, with American attacks from here, the security policy development will be much worse for us.

The full response from the Sweden Democrats can be read here. It was probably written by influential people at the top of the party, and it is cowardly that they do not sign their names.

On crimes against Sweden’s security

The human rights organization Accoun filed police reports on 13 December 2023 and 9 June 2024 about how DCA had come about. The reports have so far led nowhere, but they contain valuable material for further work against DCA. In the report, they drew our attention to the Criminal Code’s provisions on crimes against Sweden’s security.

DCA supporters try to bluff

The DCA supporters claim that Russia is threatening its surroundings. They mention Ukraine, Crimea and Georgia and then claim that US military bases are therefore needed in Sweden.

The war in Ukraine began in 2014 with the coup d’état in Kiev. The new regime then rearmed, and for several years bombed its own population in eastern Ukraine. In December 2021, Russia submitted proposals to the United States and NATO for agreements on security issues, but was rejected. On February 24, 2022, Russia entered Ukraine and in March there was a peace agreement that NATO blocked.

Crimea was annexed to Ukraine in 1954. In 2014, following a referendum, it applied to become part of Russia. Russia approved the application, protecting the Russian population and preventing its naval base on the Black Sea from becoming part of NATO.

The war in Georgia in August 2008 was not Russian aggression. See Swedish Wikipedia.

It is NATO that has been pushing against Russia and preparing for war in Ukraine for many years, as part of NATO’s plans to attack Russia. That’s the big picture in a nutshell.

The Sweden Democrats bylaws

We read in the Sweden Democrats bylaws, Chapter 1, General Statutes, § 1 Purpose and goals:

“The Sweden Democrats are a social conservative party with a nationalist outlook … The party was formed in 1988 with the overall goal of forming a democratic, political movement that would safeguard the common national

identity … We affirm … proven well-functioning natural communities in the form of the family and the nation.”

Can a nationalist party really allow foreign powers to acquire military bases on Swedish soil?

Members’ power in the party

The Sweden Democrats grassroots can arrange for an extraordinary National Congress to be convened in order to replace the top members responsible for the party voting in favor of the DCA agreement.

Furthermore. Elections to the Riksdag will be held in the fall of 2026. The party candidates, and thus the ballots, will probably be decided in 2025 or early 2026. Then make sure that those who voted for the DCA agreement end up so far down the ballot that they do not enter the Riksdag again.

Collaboration is important

The purpose of the DCA is that the US wants to be able to attack Russia from Swedish soil, and thus the agreement is extremely dangerous for us. Therefore, we must seek cooperation in every possible way to terminate the agreement, preferably before the ten-year deadline. NATO supporters and opponents must work together. Most NATO supporters are peaceful, but unfortunately, they have not fully understood NATO’s militaristic nature. They can help against the DCA.

A renewed Sweden Democrats party should seek cooperation with the Left Party (V) and the Greens (MP) on the issue of DCA and apply something called a united front. This means that even if you are far apart politically, a particular issue may be so important that you work together on that particular issue to achieve results.

All avenues must be explored. It is possible to propose in the Riksdag that the Chancellor of Justice and the Constitutional Committee examine how the agreement was established, doing so in light of Chapter 19 of the Penal Code, and that as long as the review is ongoing, the agreement should not be valid.

Chapter 19:3 of the Penal Code states:

“If a person assigned to negotiate on behalf of the realm with a foreign power, or otherwise to safeguard the interests of the realm with someone representing the interests of a foreign power, abuses their authority to represent the realm or otherwise misuses their position of trust, thereby causing significant harm to the realm, they shall be sentenced for disloyalty in negotiations with a foreign power to a fixed term of imprisonment, not less than two years and not more than eighteen years, or for life.”

This is serious stuff.

Our times are dramatic, and a revitalized Sweden Democrats party can make a significant impact on Sweden.

Björn Backengård,
Hisings Backa, Gothenburg, Sweden

Translation by TNT editorial team.

The Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) is a bilateral defense cooperation agreement between Sweden and the United States. It was approved by the Swedish Parliament on 18 June 2024.

The Sweden Democrats is the second largest party in the Swedish Riksdag. They are not part of the current "Tidö" government, but work closely with it.

https://nordictimes.com/world/slovakia-urges-west-to-engage-in-dialogue-with-russia/

World

Slovakia urges West to engage in dialogue with Russia

The new cold war

Published 2 July 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: MZVEZSR25, Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street/CC BY 2.0

Slovak Deputy Prime Minister Juraj Blanar believes that Western leaders must use diplomacy and dialogue to end the war.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar believes that the war in Ukraine cannot be decided on the battlefield. Instead, he urges the Western world to seek a peaceful solution through direct dialogue with Russia – and warns that continued tensions could lead to a catastrophic large-scale war between NATO and Moscow.

– We do not want a war between Russia and NATO to break out, because that would be the Third World War. We want the conflict to be settled peacefully, Blanar said during a discussion program on Slovak public broadcaster STVR last Sunday.

Blanar emphasized the importance of diplomacy and called for a return to “respect for international law”. He also suggested that the Western world should seek ways to renew contact with Moscow – “and perhaps even forgive everything that has happened”.

Slovakia, like Hungary, has consistently pushed for de-escalation of the conflict and opposed additional EU sanctions against Russia.

The country’s president Peter Pellegrini has also urged EU member states to resume direct talks with Moscow and has simultaneously rejected demands for rapid military buildup within NATO, arguing that defense spending should reflect each country’s own priorities – rather than concerns about Russia.

Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality

Russian officials have condemned the US-led bloc’s decision last week that member countries should raise their defense budgets to 5 percent of GDP – a measure that NATO says will deter the “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security”.

The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that it has no intentions of attacking any NATO country and has called the accusations “nonsense” – a scare tactic that, according to Moscow, is used by the West to legitimize increased defense spending.

Moscow states that it seeks a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a lasting agreement must include recognition of the actual situation “on the ground”, as well as Ukrainian neutrality.

According to Putin, contacts between Moscow and Kyiv are being maintained regarding a possible third round of peace negotiations. Previous talks have been held in Turkey, where the parties have exchanged draft peace proposals and carried out several prisoner exchanges.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/peace-activist-urges-nato-russia-cooperation-over-toxic-munitions-on-baltic-sea-floor/

Environment

Peace activist urges NATO–Russia cooperation over toxic munitions on Baltic Sea floor

The new cold war

Published 1 July 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Manlio Leggio/iStock

Approximately 40 tons of hazardous chemical warfare agents lie scattered on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, according to experts.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

An estimated 1.6 million tons of World War II ammunition still lies at the bottom of the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

According to experts, this not only poses a security threat but also a growing environmental risk – and removal should be done through international cooperation rather than individual initiatives.

The majority of the ammunition, primarily left behind by Nazi Germany, consists of conventional shells. However, about 40 tons contain dangerous chemical warfare agents, including mustard gas and phosgene. After decades underwater, many of the containers have begun to corrode, posing a threat to the marine ecosystem and potentially to coastal areas.

– The question was how to deal with the recovery of these poison time bombs for the biosphere of the Baltic Sea. Of course, due to the corrosion of these vessels, there is a danger for the fish and the plants, and other countries, says German publicist and peace activist Bernhard Trautvetter in an interview with RT.

He emphasizes that the responsibility cannot lie with a single country and that NATO countries in the Baltic region, as well as Russia, which has access to these waters through its exclave of Kaliningrad and the St. Petersburg area, must join forces to “pull this time bomb out of the world”.

German pilot project

Germany launched a pilot project in 2023 to salvage the ammunition, conducting work in the Bay of Lübeck, with the first phase completed in April this year. The authorities described the project as a success but acknowledged that further technical adaptations are needed in areas where ammunition concentrations are particularly high.

The initiative has simultaneously raised concerns among environmental organizations, researchers, and neighboring countries about how the recovery affects the marine environment, especially if conducted without cross-border coordination.

Russia has long expressed concern about the chemical legacy of the war and has repeatedly called for an international effort to clear the seabed of war materials. In practice, however, Russia has been kept out of the efforts made so far, largely due to the deteriorated security situation and the frosty relationship with the West following the initiation of the war in Ukraine.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/soaring-weapons-prices-risk-consuming-swedens-nato-buildup/

Sweden

Soaring weapons prices risk consuming Sweden’s NATO buildup

The new cold war

Published 30 June 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Amanda Gahm/Swedish Armed Forces

It remains unclear how much weapons and equipment Sweden's multi-billion investment in defense will actually cover in the end.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Sweden is building up its military like never before – but it’s far from certain that the investments will have the desired effect. Weapons manufacturers’ prices for arms and ammunition have soared, and a large part of the military build-up risks being consumed by increased costs.

– Then we won’t become more dangerous to the adversary, emphasizes Vice Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, Chief of Joint Operations at the Swedish Armed Forces.

According to the Swedish Armed Forces, the war in Ukraine has shown how quickly ammunition and weapon systems are consumed in modern conflicts, and Sweden’s own stockpiles are dimensioned for training and deterrence – not for prolonged combat.

– When it comes to ammunition, we may not have bought as much as we would need in actual combat. Instead, we’ve bought what we think we need for training and maintaining sufficient deterrence, Skoog Haslum tells TT news agency.

To meet the threat, stockpiles must be built up, and Swedish defense industry must be able to quickly scale up production if war breaks out.

Defense industry positive about closer collaboration

The development of new weapons is also accelerating. In Ukraine, for example, new weapon systems, such as marine drones, have been met with countermeasures within just four to six weeks. In Sweden, however, it can take years – sometimes decades – from order to delivery.

To shorten lead times, the Swedish Armed Forces wants to test unfinished products directly in exercises, in close collaboration with the defense industry.

– I believe we’ll become better as Armed Forces, but I also think the industry would develop faster, the Vice Admiral continues.

Defense industry representatives are positive, and Lena Gillström, CEO of Swedish defense company BAE Systems Bofors and chairperson of the Security and Defense Companies Association, sees great benefits in reducing the distance between users and developers.

– By maintaining close dialogue with those who use the systems, we can also see which problems need to be solved. I believe this will be crucial for achieving speed in the system, she says.

She is prepared to send company engineers to exercises to adjust gun turrets and artillery systems in the field – something that currently happens very rarely.

Swedish Parliament wants to borrow €27 billion

As more countries build up their military, the demand for both weapons and ammunition increases – and consequently, prices rise. Ewa Skoog Haslum sees a clear risk that the increased defense allocations won’t translate into actual combat power.

– Absolutely, it’s a risk, and then we won’t get more capability for the Armed Forces. Then we won’t become more dangerous to the adversary, instead we’ll have spent the money on more expensive items, she explains.

The defense budget for 2025 amounts to 143 billion SEK (€13 billion) – a ten percent increase compared to the previous year. This corresponds to 2.4 percent of GDP according to NATO’s calculation model. But to reach NATO’s new goals – 3.5 percent for military defense plus 1.5 percent for civil defense – an additional 70 billion SEK (€6.2 billion) per year is required.

The Swedish Parliament is prepared to borrow up to 300 billion SEK (€27 billion) to accelerate the military build-up and reach the goals by 2032. Of this amount, 50 billion SEK (€4.5 billion) is earmarked for civil defense.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/denmark-signs-defense-pact-enabling-us-military-presence-in-greenland-and-faroe-islands/

World

Denmark signs defense pact enabling US military presence in Greenland and Faroe Islands

The new cold war

Published 12 June 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: US Army/PES Communications/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen looks forward to enhanced cooperation with the US.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Danish Parliament has voted through an agreement granting the US access to Danish military bases – including military infrastructure in the autonomous regions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Critics warn of a slide in Danish sovereignty, while the government describes the agreement as a necessary step.

With a broad majority – 94 votes in favor and 11 against – the Danish parliament this week adopted a new defense agreement with the US. The agreement gives US forces the right to use several military facilities on Danish soil, including Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg, as well as access to areas in the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

According to the Danish government, the agreement aims to strengthen Denmark’s cooperation with the US within the framework of NATO. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasizes that the agreement does not imply a permanent troop presence, but rather logistical capabilities and operational flexibility.

The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the US military presence is seen as a way to be ready to respond quickly to crises in the Arctic and North Atlantic – areas that have become more important militarily as the security situation has changed.

The agreement has also attracted criticism from several quarters. Particularly controversial is the clause stipulating that US military personnel will be subject to US jurisdiction, even if they commit crimes against civilians in Denmark. Several opposition politicians have pointed out that this undermines the rule of law and goes against Danish legal tradition.

Shortly before the vote, the leader of the Unity List, Pelle Dragsted, said that the agreement is “harmful to the country”.

– It is an agreement that means that we will have areas in Denmark that are under American jurisdiction. Where Danish authorities cannot exercise control. And where mistreatment of prisoners can occur. It is a gigantic failure towards the Danish population.

With the country’s new DCA agreement with the US, Danish soldiers can expect to see a significant increase in the American presence in Denmark. Photo: 7th Army Training Command/CC BY 2.0

Superpower logic guides decisions

Others believe that the agreement represents a step toward Denmark effectively ceding parts of its territory to a foreign power.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which have extensive self-government, have been formally informed of the agreement, but neither the Faroese Lagting nor the Greenlandic Inatsisartut have had the right to block the decision. This has led to further criticism, as many see it as Copenhagen bypassing local interests in favor of superpower logic.

In the background is also the geopolitical shift underway in the Arctic, where Russia, China, and the US are all trying to strengthen their positions. The US has previously shown interest in Greenland – not least after Donald Trump’s much-publicized proposal to buy the island – and considers it to be of strategic importance for surveillance and control of the North Atlantic.

The Danish government sees the agreement as a necessary adaptation to a new reality.

– The problem is not too much involvement from the US in Europe. On the contrary, the risk is that the US will withdraw and move troops away or stop donations to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week.

At the same time, there are growing concerns that Denmark is also making itself more vulnerable – both politically and militarily – in the event of a future conflict between major powers.

The Folketing’s decision therefore marks not only a deepening of cooperation with the US, but also a change in Denmark’s attitude toward military alliances and sovereignty—a choice that is far from comfortable for all Danes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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“After DCA: Open letter to Sweden Democrat grassroots”

What does DCA mean?

Response to an opinion poll

On crimes against Sweden’s security

DCA supporters try to bluff

The Sweden Democrats bylaws

Members’ power in the party

Collaboration is important

Slovakia urges West to engage in dialogue with Russia

Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality

Peace activist urges NATO–Russia cooperation over toxic munitions on Baltic Sea floor

German pilot project

Soaring weapons prices risk consuming Sweden’s NATO buildup

Defense industry positive about closer collaboration

Swedish Parliament wants to borrow €27 billion

Denmark signs defense pact enabling US military presence in Greenland and Faroe Islands

Superpower logic guides decisions

News

The Nordics

Opinion

Social Media

N

Polaris of Enlightenment

News

Other

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow TNT socials!

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT. All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support! Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly. We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Sign up for our newsletter today!

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT.
All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.