As India seeks a better understanding from Europe about the situation in the Indo-Pacific, Sweden has become the latest major European power to have its own strategy for the region. Its visiting foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told TOI in an exclusive interview that it’s important for like-minded democracies to together uphold the rules-based order, whether in Ukraine or in the Indo-Pacific where China is challenging the same. The minister backed Trump’s efforts to end the war and his call for Europe to spend more for its own security. She sought fair peace for Ukraine and said India can play a role in achieving that.
Excerpts:
Q. What is your Indo-Pacific policy all about?
We came up with our strategy last year and it’s on the side of defence. We are seeing how security in the world is becoming interlinked. The worst example of this is the North Korean troops being present on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine. It shows how small the world has become, and we need cooperation among democracies who believe in the rules-based order. There is great interest in the Indo-Pacific in many parts of the world. We see potential here for enormous growth but also tensions. For instance we see how China is challenging the rules-based order, the law of the sea, in the South China Sea.
Q. There’s increasing focus on defence cooperation. How can Sweden contribute to the Make in India initiative of the Indian government?
We have substantial cooperation already in place in defence. It’s a big step that Swedish company Saab is coming here to produce the Carl Gustaf (shoulder-launched weapon system). We will both benefit from this cooperation and there is also potential as regards the defence industry. Sweden is very strong in that area and with these many tensions in the world there is great potential.
Q. Sweden shunned longstanding neutrality to join NATO last year. Are you disappointed with the way Trump has targeted the organisation?
My interpretation of the new administration is that they are 100 percent committed to the alliance. Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defence) has said he would like to deepen the cooperation. I think the US intends to be a good ally. Having said that, I think that their criticism against European countries, and also Canada, of not spending enough on their own security is absolutely legit. Sweden has done its homework.
So, we have doubled our investments in the military in 4 years and we are heading for more. There is no such thing as free lunch. The best way of keeping the US interested in European security is to show that we are interested in European security. Trump is trying to find a solution (to the war). We are very pleased with the agreement in Jeddah for a proposed ceasefire and now the pressure is on Russia. It’s up to Russia to show they want to lay down their weapons. I’m not sure they will want that. Trump has contributed to that and for that we are grateful.
Q. Can India still play a role in ensuring peace?
I think India is a very important country standing up for the rules-based order. I’m convinced that India has a very important role to play regarding this. But it has to be peace that is fair and does not allow Russia to go back to its people perceived as winners, invest more heavily in their military and then return to attack another friendly country. Our full support for Ukraine (including Sweden’s military aid) is a prerequisite for them to be able to negotiate from a position of strength. It’s important for Ukraine to be in a position to say no to a bad deal.
Q. Will India-EU FTA happen by the end of this year?
We discussed the India-EU FTA quite a bit in the bilateral (with Jaishankar on Monday) and concluded that now is the time to reach an agreement from which both India and the EU would benefit. Of course, there are things to sort out. In these very difficult geopolitical times, democracies like the EU and India must stick together and cooperate even more closely. India is a great democracy with faith in multilateralism and a rules-based world order.
Q. Do you expect Ukraine to join Nato?
In the two last summits, in Washington and Vilnius, Nato countries have agreed that the future of Ukraine is in Nato. So, we want to work towards that and towards their EU membership. We believe that is where they belong. Nobody believes they will join Nato now or next year but it’s a long-term goal for Ukraine.
