What a neutral nation is

STOCKHOLM • In seeking a compromise with Kyiv to end three weeks of war, Moscow has suggested that Ukraine could become a non-aligned or neutral state like Sweden or Austria. The two countries are members of the European Union but not of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military alliance.

Sweden was neutral in World War II and part of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, though it secretly cooperated with the United States in providing sensitive information on the Soviet Union. It gave up its formal neutrality when it joined the EU in 1995 and replaced it with a policy of military non-alignment.

Sweden has increased its links to Nato in recent years and regularly takes part in military exercises. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson recently rejected calls for Nato membership, saying it would destabilise Europe's security.

The country has participated in Nato and United Nations missions, like in Mali, Afghanistan and Iraq, though usually in roles such as training and communications support.

Sweden cooperates closely with a number of countries on defence matters, including the US, France and neighbouring Finland, which is also not a Nato member.

Sweden is part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a British-led quick-response force with a focus on the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea regions.

None of Sweden's allies is formally committed to fighting alongside the country if it were invaded.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden said it planned to raise military spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), the level that Nato members are required to meet, though most currently do not.

Moscow made Austria's neutrality, modelled on Switzerland's, a condition of its independence in 1955 after World War II ended.

Austria effectively became a buffer zone between the Eastern Bloc and the West, but the countries surrounding it are now all Nato members, with the exceptions of Switzerland and tiny Liechtenstein.

Austria's military is relatively small and underfunded, with defence spending at just 0.6 per cent of GDP in 2020 - well below the EU average of 1.3 per cent. Chancellor Karl Nehammer has suggested increasing it to at least 1 per cent.

Austria is a partner to Nato, and takes part in operations with a UN mandate under Nato command, such as the Kosovo Force peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

Austria does not usually allow foreign powers to use or pass through its territory unless they are acting under a UN Security Council mandate.

REUTERS