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Swedish lawmakers are debating the possibility of launching a domestic nuclear weapons programme, even as experts warn that the country lacks the capacity to develop such weapons.

 

For decades, Sweden was known for its long-standing policy of neutrality and disarmament, consistently rejecting nuclear weapons on its soil. That position shifted after Stockholm formally joined NATO in 2024, ending its non-aligned status.

 

Earlier this year, Jimmie Akesson, leader of the Sweden Democrats, suggested that Sweden should remain open to hosting nuclear weapons. Robert Dalsjo, a researcher at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOA), also argued that Sweden must consider “independent nuclear weapons with a Swedish component.”

 

Alice Teodorescu Mawe, a Christian Democrat MEP from the governing coalition, has voiced support for Sweden’s participation in a broader European nuclear strategy.

 

The Swedish government has not confirmed any official intention to pursue a nuclear weapons programme, and it remains unclear whether the country has the technological or industrial means to build a warhead without outside assistance.

 

Martin Goliath, a nuclear weapons expert at FOA, told that it would be “almost impossible to lay down the resources” for such an undertaking.

 

During the Cold War, Sweden covertly explored the possibility of building plutonium-based warheads and conducted large non-nuclear test explosions in the 1950s. In 1957, the CIA concluded that Stockholm could develop nuclear weapons within five years.

 

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However, the programme was abandoned due to high costs and strong anti-nuclear sentiment, with critics warning that such weapons would make Sweden a potential target.

 

Stockholm now appears to be setting aside many of those earlier concerns, along with its historic neutrality. Sweden has pledged more than $30 billion towards military spending by 2030 and aims to nearly double its armed forces to 115,000 personnel, up from 60,000 in 2023.

 

This expansion is part of a wider military build-up among NATO member states in Europe, justified by what Western officials describe as the need to counter a Russian threat.

 

Moscow has repeatedly denied posing any danger to NATO countries, accusing Western leaders of stoking fears to legitimise rising defence budgets and worsening living standards across the continent.