Posted on 09/05/2024 6:05:01 AM PDT by OldHarbor
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, who steered the Scandinavian country along a sometimes bumpy road to NATO membership and stood tall on supporting Ukraine, stunned the political establishment Wednesday by saying he was leaving the Swedish government next week.
“It has not been an easy decision but something that I have thought about and processed for some time,” Billström wrote on X. Billström became foreign minister in October 2022, when Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson formed a coalition government with his own conservative Moderate Party, the smaller Christian Democrats and the Liberals.
In May 2022, Sweden and neighboring Finland sought NATO membership, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe spiked following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After 18 months of delays, Sweden’s membership bid cleared the final hurdle in February Hungary gave its consent. Turkey also objected to Sweden joining the alliance, but on Jan. 23, Turkish legislators voted in favor.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan put forth a series of conditions including a tougher stance from Stockholm toward groups that Turkey regards as threats to its security, such as Kurdish militants and members of a network it blames for a failed coup in 2016. Related Stories Sweden became the 32nd member of the military alliance in March.
The 50-year-old Billström said on X that he had taken Sweden through “a sometimes challenging NATO process.” On Facebook, Kristersson said that Billström had discharged his duties with “flying colors.”
Billström said on X that he would “leave politics completely. This means that I am also leaving my seat in the Riksdag,” the Swedish parliament. The 349-member assembly will convene next week after the summer recess. Billström’s replacement has not yet been named.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
We’ll have to wait and see if the Ukes can field the Early Warning Aircraft that Sweden is providing.
What I will do in the future is still open. But I'm only 50, and I'm looking forward to contributing and working hard in other contexts where my commitment will be recognised.”, he said amid what he said were mixed feelings of “sadness and pride”.
Can one just up and quit the Deep State and walk away ?
“Rumor has it many Swede instructors were killed in the missile strike in Poltava. Sweden”
It is a ‘rumor’, but a REALLY STRONG RUMOR, and the timing is perfect to support the rumor. So why doesn’t AP mention it? Inconvenient, don’t want the European public to know the level of Western involvement in Ukraine, per chance?
Anyway, if there are FReepers in Sweden (assuming this site is even permitted anymore in that country), keep a sharp eye open for a string of ‘training accidents’ in the coming days.
He's likely just changing offices, going from the government wing of the Deep State over to the korporate wing.
The aircraft were part of a military aid package worth 13.3 billion Krona ($1.3 billion) .
A billion here, a billion there, meh.
Poltava.
Losing not only Swedish instructors but reportedly also the entire upper technical management echelon of the Swedish AWACs program …left a mark
The target was people, not aircraft.
This “ radio-communications” academy was for the classroom training of the people who were going to operate this system. Past Poltava tech academy grad cadet classes have been about 500 strong. Any men and women ( fair share of female trainees) who survived this double tap would likely be damaged, severely.
To have the entire Swedish senior management team of the Swedish AWACS company onsite…was really really a bad decision. Russians seemed to have excellent ground intel on location and timing of their visit to welcome a new cadet class of trainees. Poltava was an ironic site given past history,
The FM may have played a role in the decisions. He was a join-NATO cheerleader from taking office in 2022
What do the Swedes have to complain about? We haven’t killed nearly enough Swedes to be upset about unlike the Ukrainians. We burn through Ukrainians like cordwood in winter
Lot of Candians have gone missing over there. The families are being told training exercises in Latvia, but we all know better, it’s infuriating. They’ve also been paid out as if it was war death. Lots of very interesting chatter on the bases.
If you like your Canadian bank accounts, you MUST NOT debate the issue of losing your people, even those in your family, to the Meat Grinder, no sir!
That’s essentially what people were told. Take the money or fight and get nothing.
Costly strike . Well the Swedes wanted to pitch in and be a player, so be it.
I am not a number!
Be seeing you!
With all these losses in little Sweden, the Swedish news must be dominated by these many deaths of corporate executives and soldiers.
For the formerly neutral Swedes…
Joining NATO was all, like, cool meetings and conferences, social gatherings, the latest military expos, promises of new weapons, exciting joint exercises in mythical war scenarios….and becoming a recipient of US approval and special relationship
Then the hypersonics arrived
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