Sweden is negotiating with France and Britain on the "nuclear umbrella"

Sweden is in talks with Britain and France to provide the country with nuclear security guarantees in the event of military action in Europe. This was announced by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the newspaper The Telegraph.

He stated that the talks have been going on for some time, but no specific proposals or deadlines have been agreed upon.

"We are currently in ongoing negotiations with both France and the UK. They are not yet very precise, and French [nuclear weapons] are uniquely French, but France is also showing openness to discussions with other countries," Kristersson said.

Spokesperson for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Kira Starmera confirmed discussions on a nuclear umbrella for Sweden.

"The nuclear umbrella is a security guarantee under which nuclear-armed countries pledge to protect non-nuclear allies. While NATO membership means that Sweden already has this protection, the talks indicate that it hopes to become less dependent on the United States.

Britain and France are the only NATO members in Europe with nuclear weapons of their own, while the United States has an arsenal of about 100 missiles, mostly deployed in Germany.

However, the concern that the US president Donald Trump can no longer be relied on for security has fueled discussions about London and Paris taking on the role of primary guarantors of nuclear weapons.

Kristersson's statement is important because Sweden has historically sought to remain neutral on defense issues. This changed radically in 2022, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine prompted Stockholm to join NATO.

"I say that by joining NATO, we [became] fully involved in all discussions, including European ones, on nuclear weapons. Not to be used, but as long as dangerous countries have nuclear weapons, healthy democracies should also have access to nuclear weapons," the official said.

He added that the discussions are at a very early stage. According to him, Sweden has not yet seen the need to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory. However, in the event of a war between Russia and NATO, his country would find itself in a "completely different situation."

"We should not jump ahead of ourselves. These discussions are ongoing, and as a NATO member, we are fully involved in all processes. We see no need for nuclear weapons to be deployed in Sweden in peacetime, nor for foreign troops to be deployed in Sweden in peacetime," Kristersson emphasized.

• On September 23, 2025, Estonia expressed its readiness to deploy British nuclear weapons on its territory.
• On September 25, Navrotsky stated that Poland does not mind placing nuclear weapons on its territory – the country is ready to participate in the NATO Nuclear Exchange Program.