Factbox-Russia suggests Sweden or Austria as military model for Ukraine By Reuters

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Ukraine might turn out to be a non-aligned or impartial state like Sweden or Austria, Russia mentioned on Wednesday, because it seeks a compromise with Kyiv to finish three weeks of conflict.

Listed here are some information in regards to the army standing of Sweden and Austria, that are each members of the European Union however not of the NATO army alliance. Ukraine has beforehand mentioned it desires to affix each organisations, a stance that helped immediate Russia’s choice to invade its southern ex-Soviet neighbour on Feb. 24.

SWEDEN

– Sweden was impartial in World Warfare Two and a part of the non-aligned motion through the Chilly Warfare, although it secretly cooperated with the USA in offering delicate info on the Soviet Union.

– It gave up its formal neutrality when it joined the EU in 1995 and changed it with a coverage of army non-alignment.

– It has elevated hyperlinks to NATO in recent times and often participates in army workouts. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson lately rejected requires membership, saying it will destabilise Europe’s safety.

– Sweden has participated in NATO and U.N. missions, for instance in Mali, Afghanistan and Iraq, although often in roles comparable to coaching and communications assist.

– It cooperates carefully with quite a lot of nations on defence issues, together with the USA, France and neighbouring Finland, which can also be not a NATO member.

– Sweden is a part of the Joint Expeditionary Power, a British-led quick-response drive with a give attention to the Excessive North, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea area.

– None of its allies is formally dedicated to preventing alongside Sweden if it have been invaded.

– After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden mentioned it plans to extend army spending to 2% of gross home product (GDP) as quickly as doable, the extent NATO members are required to fulfill, although most presently don’t.

AUSTRIA

– Moscow made Austria’s neutrality, modelled on Switzerland’s, a situation of its independence when the nation’s occupation by the 4 Allied forces after World Warfare Two resulted in 1955.

– Austria successfully grew to become a buffer zone between the jap bloc and the West, however the nations surrounding it at the moment are all NATO member states with the exceptions of Switzerland and tiny Liechtenstein.

– Austria has a comparatively small and underfunded army. Its defence spending was simply 0.6% of GDP in 2020, the second-lowest stage within the EU after Malta, Eurostat statistics present, properly under the EU common of 1.3%. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has advised growing it to not less than 1%.

– Austria is a companion to NATO, and takes half in operations with a U.N. mandate underneath NATO command, such because the KFOR peacekeeping drive in Kosovo.

– Austria doesn’t often enable international powers to make use of or go by means of its territory until they’re performing underneath a U.N. Safety Council mandate.