Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström will meet in Warsaw on Monday to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, focusing on security and the international situation. Their talks will also cover issues like Sweden joining NATO, Baltic state cooperation, Ukrainian support, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and EU enlargement. Rau and Billström will also discuss ways to boost economic cooperation between Poland and Sweden. Poland is urging its allies, Turkey and Hungary, to ratify agreements on Sweden’s NATO accession without delay, but Sweden’s bid for NATO membership has been stalled due to objections from Ankara and Budapest.
Neutrality is not technically possible in the European Union, as members must
Assent to the Common Security Policy. Interest has risen in NATO membership in formerly neutral Sweden since the 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine, but Swedish diplomatic tensions with Turkey and Hungarian diplomatic tensions with the EU may cause the two countries to use their blocking veto.
„It’s not right for them to ask us to take them on board while they’re spreading blatant lies about Hungary, about the rule of law in Hungary, about democracy, about life here,” said Viktor Orban, whose country is being denied EU funds for the alleged state of its democracy.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in March 2023 it was „inconceivable” NATO would not respond if Sweden’s security were threatened.
