Sweden considers having its own nuclear weapons to counter the threat of Russia.

While experts acknowledge Sweden possesses civilian nuclear capabilities, they emphasize this doesn’t translate into a rapid weapons program. Developing a viable nuclear arsenal would demand substantial financial resources, construction of specialized industrial complexes, recruitment and training of skilled professionals, and a timeline stretching across years or potentially decades.

The question remains open and contested within Swedish society. Government officials and certain defense analysts argue the nation must evaluate every possible security option in light of today’s transformed geopolitical landscape.

However, opposing voices counsel restraint, pointing to prohibitive expenses, formidable technical obstacles, and potential international backlash that would make developing indigenous nuclear weapons both impractical and hazardous.

Sweden’s nuclear ambitions aren’t unprecedented. During the Cold War era, the country advanced toward developing atomic weapons as protection against Soviet aggression, only to halt the initiative in the closing years of the 1960s.

The nation, which has cultivated an international image centered on peaceful coexistence, became a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968, formally designating itself as non-nuclear. Its comprehensive safeguards agreement became operational in 1975.

Sweden subsequently ratified the Additional Protocol, permitting more rigorous international monitoring.

Though the Defence Research Agency maintained knowledge of nuclear weapons effects, most related infrastructure and technical resources were systematically decommissioned. The final plutonium stockpiles were transferred to American custody in 2012.

In subsequent years, Sweden has established itself as a prominent champion of nuclear disarmament and preventing weapons proliferation, building an international standing as a principled actor in global arms regulation.

Despite its recent NATO membership, Stockholm has shown no indication of reviving nuclear weapons development since terminating its original program.Retry