Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson has called for deeper defense cooperation among Northern European and Baltic nations, warning that in the face of growing security threats, the region is effectively “in the same boat.”
In an interview with Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT, Jonson emphasized that the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltics must work as one in defense and deterrence, as their security interests are increasingly intertwined.
“I see the entire Nordic-Baltic region as one operational zone,” Jonson said.
“So we either pull through together, or we sink together.”
Jonson’s comments came in response to remarks by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who recently said that Northern Europe should aim to become “the most integrated region in the world” — not only economically, but also in terms of security and defense.
Jonson said that this vision is now being implemented. Sweden’s mechanized brigade is currently deployed in Latvia, while Swedish Gripen fighter jets patrol Polish airspace. Close coordination between the Nordic and Baltic countries is ongoing within the framework of NATO, he said.
Asked whether NATO’s response to recent Russian hybrid provocations has been sufficient, Jonson said he believes it has — citing Operation Eastern Watch, launched after Russian “Gerber” drones violated Polish airspace, and Operation Baltic Watch, which has strengthened security in the Baltic Sea.
“If we look at Operation Baltic Watch in the Baltic Sea, we’re seeing good results. There have been no recent incidents or attacks damaging underwater infrastructure,” Jonson said.
“In response to Russia’s actions, we need both political statements and military measures.”
The minister also cautioned that Russia continues to adapt its hybrid tactics, learning from its failures and experiences in Ukraine.
“With technological development, Russia adapts and evolves,” he said. “We must remain fast, flexible, and technologically capable to respond to new instruments Russia uses.”
In October, Sweden and Ukraine announced a landmark agreement to supply up to 150 Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force, including provisions for partial localization of production in Ukraine — a move seen as a powerful signal of long-term partnership between Stockholm and Kyiv.
Earlier this week, Kyiv Post reported that Lithuania’s top diplomat, Kęstutis Budrys, delivered a stark message to Western allies from NATO’s eastern flank during his Monday visit to Washington: The era of self-deterrence is over.
The time, he insisted, is now to confront Russian aggression with overwhelming force – and budget.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute after a day of meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Benson, and other US officials, Budrys offered a stark, cold-eyed assessment from NATO’s front line. The West, he argued, has been trapped by a Russian-planted idea: that escalation should always be avoided.
“The only thing that you shouldn’t do is escalate – who created this [mantra]?” Budrys challenged. “You shouldn’t be afraid to escalate. This is what works,” he emphasized.
Drawing on Lithuania’s long experience with Russian power, Budrys said that Western restraint only invites more aggression.
He paraphrased Lenin’s maxim – that if you probe with a bayonet and encounter mush, push; if you encounter steel, withdraw – to argue that Russia always advances until it meets force.
Every time the West holds back, he warned, “they think we’re weak – pushovers,” he said.