On Friday, the government held a press conference ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, which will be held on July 7-8.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration that he perceives NATO countries as unwilling to help the US in the war with Iran and to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
On Truth Social he writes:
"Ridiculous for the US to continue down this one-sided path when the relationship is not reciprocal. They were not there for us," the president writes without specifically mentioning when NATO countries were not there for the US.
"I'm not going to comment on individual things like that," says Kristersson.
Expecting unity
Three main issues are on the summit's agenda.
Basically, we expect agreement on these points, says Kristersson
The first is about the European NATO countries taking over a greater share of responsibility for Europe's defense from the United States.
A year ago, NATO countries agreed that their military-related defense spending should increase to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2035, but several countries have a long way to go.
My impression is that there will be a very detailed follow-up of different countries' defense investments, says Kristersson.
Support for Ukraine
The second is about how NATO countries should expand their defense industry and increase production capacity.
The third main issue concerns support for Ukraine.
Our (Sweden's) single most important message is that Europe's security is currently spelled Ukraine, says Kristersson.
The big question the world is asking itself, not least ahead of the Ankara summit, is what does a Russia that does not want to negotiate but does not seem to be winning either, what does such a Russia do.
