STOCKHOLM: Sweden will join Canada in leading a NATO force to deter Russian aggression in the Baltic region, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Jan. 8. He said Sweden was ready to send ground combat units to Latvia next year, even though it is not yet a full member of NATO.
Kristersson made the announcement at a defense conference in Saden, where he warned that Russia’s war on Ukraine was a threat to the whole of Europe. He said Sweden and its neighbours were living in the shadow of Russia’s violence and propaganda.
Canada has been commanding a NATO battlegroup of about 1,000 troops in Latvia since 2014, after Russia illegally seized and occupied Crimea. Canada plans to double its forces in Latvia by 2026.
According to DN, a Swedish news outlet, Sweden will send a mechanized battalion of around 800 soldiers, armored vehicles and combat cars to Latvia in early 2025. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds thanked Kristersson on the social media platform X, saying the decision was a significant investment in regional security and Latvia’s defense.
